African Swine flu (ASF) virus has been detected in the Kanchanpur sub-division of Tripura’s North district which shares the inter-state border with Mizoram. Earlier this year the ASF cases were also detected in Mizoram which shares its border with Tripura.
According to a press statement of government the North Eastern Regional Disease Diagnostic Lab (NERDDL) in Guwahati, after testing RTPCR on a sample of pig tissue which was sent from Tripura, said it contained the African swine fever virus.
To control the disease and prevent infection, the Exotic Pig Breeding Farm in Kanchanpur has been declared as the epicenter of the disease following the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act.
However, according to this Act, 1 km area around the place of origin will be considered as an infected zone and 10 km area will be considered as a surveillance zone. Therefore, some restrictions have been issued based on this announcement from the Department of Animal Resources Development.
“No freight vehicle can carry any pig out of this area. However, animals (pigs) can be transported through this zone by road or rail unless any animal is unloaded from the vehicle in this area. No live or dead pigs suspected to be infected with African swine fever can be taken away from the area. A person who has been exposed to or infected with suspected African swine fever shall not be allowed to carry pork food, carcasses, skin, or any other substance. Animal gathering or animal fair also exempted”, the press statement of government informed.
Earlier this year cases of African swine flu were also detected in Mizoram. The first pig death due to ASF was reported on March 21 at Lungsen village in south Mizoram’s Lunglei district bordering Bangladesh.
African Swine Fever is a highly contagious and deadly viral disease, affecting both domestic and feral swine of all ages.
However, according to experts said that ASF is not a threat to human health and cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans. No vaccine is available for the virus till date.
