Meghalaya: Inter-State & Inter-District movement of pigs banned in East Jaintia Hills after detection of AFS cases

Guwahati: Guwahati: Federick M. Dopth, the Deputy Commissioner of Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district banned the inter-state and inter-district movement of pigs after the detection of African Swine Fever cases.

Dopth informed that reports has been received from District Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Officer, East Jaintia Hills District, Khliehriat that the 2 clinical laboratory samples of pigs from Synrang Shahkhain village (Rymbai) and Wapungskur Village of East Jaintia Hills District, Meghalaya were tested positive for African Swine Fever (AFS) disease.

"To prevent the spread of this highly contagious disease to other villages, the Deputy Commissioner banned Inter-State and Inter-District movement of pigs. Transportation of pigs from these above mentioned villages to other villages and movement of pigs into these above mentioned villages is also banned," the DC said in his order.

He also stated that the District Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Officer, East Jaintia Hills District, Khliehriat is to create public awareness, disinfection of pigs shed equipments and burial of pigs as per protocol.

Recently, Meghalaya became the third northeastern State to report the disease that affects pigs after Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

Samples tested at the Guwahati-based North Eastern Regional Disease Diagnostics Laboratory (NERDDL) confirmed the outbreak of the disease in Meghalaya. The samples were collected from the state's Ri Bhoi, East Khasi Hills and West Jaintia Hills districts after the sudden deaths of some pigs.

Meanwhile, more than 17,000 pigs have died due to the highly-contagious disease in adjoining Assam.

The African Swine Fever is a highly contagious haemorrhagic viral disease of domestic and wild pigs caused by a large DNA virus of the Asfarviridae family. The ASF also infects ticks of the genus Ornithodoros. The disease was first detected in 1921 in Kenya; no vaccines or medicines have been discovered so far.

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