STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Assam continues to bear the brunt of African Swine Fever. The Directorate of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary detected two more swine fever epicentres in the state recently, leading to the death of 93 pigs, besides the culling of 75. The death and culling of pigs affected ten families.
According to Directorate sources, they detected the two new epicentres at Rongpuria in Jaradhara village in Boginodi Development Block in the Lakhimpur district and Apprin Grant in the Katlicherra Development Block in the Hailakandi district.
African Swine Fever revisited the state in 2020 and has been in the state even now. The crux of the problem lies in the fact that African Swine Fever has a 100 per cent mortality rate. As if to cap it all, this fever does not have any vaccine. And the virus spreads from pig to pig.
The directorate detected six African Swine Fever epicentres in August this year, leading to the death of 163 pigs, besides the culling of 793. The total number of African Swine Fever epicentres detected in the state since 2020 is 84. While African Swine Fever claimed 41,164 pigs, the directorate culled 2,507 since 2020. The fever affected 14,179 pig farming families.
The Directorate has appealed to all pig farmers to inform the local veterinary officials if they detect any symptoms of swine fever in their pigs. Hiding facts regarding African Swine Fever is dangerous as the fever spreads from pig to pig.
The directorate pays compensation to the affected pig farmers for pigs culled. They follow the guidelines issued by the Government of India.
Directorate sources say that they get less cooperation from pig farmers who hide facts regarding the occurrence of African Swine fever.
Two government pig farms at Rani on the outskirts of Guwahati had to suffer losses as the directorate culled all the pigs there.
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