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Updated September 22nd, 2021 at 09:06 IST

African swine fever cases confirmed in Tripura, authorities begin culling pigs

African Swine Fever is a viral disease that affects pigs. Three of 87 samples of pigs tested positive for the viral disease in Tripura.

Reported by: Vishnu V V
African swine fever
Image: Pixabay | Image:self
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The Animal Resources Development Department of Tripura on Tuesday informed that three cases of African swine fever have been confirmed in the state. The fever was detected after several pigs were reported dead in Subash Nagar village in Kanchanpur. The department has since set up a perimeter around the area and has begun steps to contain any further spreading.

African swine fever in Tripura

K Shashi Kr, Director of Animal Resources Development Department in Tripura informed that selected pigs are now being culled to contain the disease. “Three of 87 samples of pigs tested positive for African swine fever. We'll cull all pigs within 1km from the epicentre and declare a 10km area as a surveillance zone. We've issued notification & began culling process,” the animal resource director said. Earlier, a similar breakout was recorded in Mizoram caused by pigs or pork which were brought in from countries like Myanmar and Bangladesh.

African Swine Fever (ASF) is a viral disease that affects pigs. ASF is believed to spread fast and has a case fatality rate of almost 100 per cent. The virus spreads through direct contact with an infected or wild pig (alive or dead), indirect contact through ingestion of contaminated food or waste or even through biological vectors such as ticks. According to health experts, the ASF outbreak does not pose a threat to human health and it is biologically impossible to be transmitted from pigs to humans.

ASF outbreak in Mizoram

The first case of a suspected outbreak of ASF was reported at the Lungsen village of south Mizoram on March 21. It lies in the Lunglei district, which is close to the Bangladesh border. The National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal later confirmed in mid-April that the cause of the deaths of pigs was due to the ASF. The fever caused loss of lives of over 25,000 pigs in the last five months in the state. The death of so many pigs since late March has caused a loss of more than Rs 121 crore. The state authorities had to allow the culling of almost 9,500 pigs to avoid the spread of the disease, a senior official of the state animal husbandry and veterinary science department had informed.

(With ANI inputs)

Image: Pixabay

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Published September 22nd, 2021 at 09:06 IST

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