Over 3,050 pigs killed due to African Swine Fever in Mizoram

Aizawl, April 26 (IANS) The African Swine Fever (AFS), which resurfaced in Mizoram last month, has killed more than 3,050 pigs in four of the state's 11 districts, officials said on Saturday.

An official from Mizoram's Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department (AHVD) said that the department so far declared 46 localities in four districts as ASF-infected zones -- Siaha , Lawngtlai, Lunglei and Mamit.

All the four ASF affected districts shared unfenced border with Myanmar and Bangladesh.

AHVD officials said that while the outbreak of disease has affected four districts, Siaha district continues to bear the brunt of the infectious disease increasing the cumulative pig death toll in the district to 1,651.

Lawngtlai town, which borders both Myanmar and Bangladesh, also reported a total toll of 1,189 so far.

To contain the spread of the disease, the AHVD teams so far culled around 1,000 pigs in four districts.

Though the spike in pig deaths seen earlier in the week has shown signs of slowing since Thursday, AHVD officials described the situation as 'very serious'.

According to the department officials the ongoing hot weather conditions and intermittent rainfall are favourable for the spread of the AFS virus.

Senior AHVD officials closely continue to monitor affected areas and implement containment measures, urging pig farmers and the public to remain vigilant.

Last year, Mizoram suffered a loss of Rs 336.49 crore due to the outbreak of ASF, which left 15,000 pigs dead while around 24,200 pigs were culled to prevent the spread of the disease.

The outbreak of the contagious disease started in mid-March 2021, and since then, the ASF has caused huge losses to farmers and government farms.

In 2021, around 33,417 pigs and piglets died, and 12,568 were culled due to infectious disease, while in 2022, at least 12,795 pigs and piglets died and 11,686 were culled, and in 2023, 1,139 pigs and piglets died and 980 were culled.

The northeastern state, which shares unfenced borders with Myanmar (510 km) and Bangladesh (318 km), has incurred financial losses of Rs 896.69 crore due to the disease since 2021.

"In view of the death and culling of pigs and piglets due to the ASF outbreak, Mizoram suffered a loss of Rs 334.14 crore in 2021, Rs 210.32 crore in 2022, Rs 15.77 crore in 2023 and Rs 336.49 crore in 2024," an AHVD official told IANS.

The government has provided compensation to several hundred families for the loss of pigs due to the highly communicable disease, she said.

The ASF, which, however, does not affect humans, is a highly infectious disease among pigs and poses a severe threat with a very high mortality rate.

Pork is one of the most common and popular meats consumed by both the tribals and non-tribals in the northeastern region.

With heavy demand for pork in the northeast region, its annual business is worth around Rs 8,000-10,000 crore, with Assam being the largest supplier.

--IANS

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