Dangerous African flu footprint in India, 2,500 pigs die in Assam

Assam, Ta. 4 May 2020, Monday

On the one hand, the entire world, including India, is currently battling the corona virus, with another deadly disease, the African swine flu, appearing in India. The disease has started spreading in Assam and according to an official report of the Assam government, about 2,500 pigs have died due to the disease.

Atul Bora, the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Minister of the Assam government, said the disease had spread to 306 villages in seven districts of the state. According to him, about 2,500 pigs have died so far due to this dangerous disease and the National Institute for Veterinary Safety has confirmed the spread of African swine flu (ASF).

This is the first time the disease has spread in the country and its transmission is so dangerous that the death rate of infected pigs is 100 per cent. Strategies are currently being devised to save the pigs that have survived the transition. According to Bora, even after getting the approval of the central government, the Assam government will take other measures to prevent the spread of this deadly infectious disease instead of killing the pigs. Minister Atul Bora also clarified that the disease has nothing to do with Kovid-19 i.e. Corona virus.

How is the flu spread?

African swine flu is spread through pig meat, sciatica, blood and tissue so the Assam government will stop the transport of pigs. The state government has turned the perimeter area of ​​10 km into a surveillance zone so that pigs there cannot go anywhere else.

Where did the flu spread from?

The disease started in April 2019 in a village in China's Jiangxi province adjacent to Arunachal Pradesh. The disease broke out in Assam in late February this year and is believed to have spread from China to Assam via Arunachal Pradesh.

The transition case will be investigated

Currently, the Assam Veterinary Department will collect samples from the affected areas within a radius of one km and investigate them. In the meantime, only infected pigs will be killed. In addition, the neighboring state has been urged to stop the spread of pigs there.

Pig deaths that have been going on for some time

Apart from Dhemaji, North Lakhimpur, Vishwanath, Dibrugarh, Shivsagar and Jorhat in Assam, some districts in Arunachal Pradesh have been witnessing unusual deaths of pigs in recent times. Meghalaya, meanwhile, has banned the transport of pigs from other states. In 2019, the number of pigs in Assam was 21 lakh which has now increased to 30 lakh.