Nagaland: African Swine Fever Hits Kohima District

KOHIMA: In a major development, African swine fever (ASF) was detected in Thizama Village under Chiephobozou block in Nagaland's Kohima district.

Kohima deputy commissioner Kumar Ramnikant designated 1 km radius of the infected village as an infected zone after the disease was detected.

In addition to it, a 10 km radius from the infected premises, covering a 9 km radius outside the infected zone, has been declared as a surveillance zone.

A ban on slaughter, import and export of pigs and piglets was also put in place by the DC.

He urged the public to comply with these restrictions so that the disease could be contained at the earliest.

Meanwhile, death of pigs both in various farms and homes continue unabated in Mizoram causing a huge financial loss to farmers and rearers with over 10,050 pigs killed and over 18,300 pigs culled due to the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) since February, officials informed.

Mizoram Animal Husbandry and Veterinary (AHV) Department officials said that though the ratio of pig deaths due to ASF and culling reduced to a large extent recently, the outbreak continues unabated in many districts. 

According to unofficial estimates, pig farmers and rearers in the mountainous northeastern states have suffered colossal losses of over Rs 23 to 25 crore due to the outbreak of this infectious disease since February.

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

ASF mostly occurs when the climate begins to warm up and pre-monsoon rain commences in the state.

Meanwhile, 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 region, its annual business is worth around Rs 8,000-10,000 crore in the northeast region, with Assam being the largest supplier.

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