Certain areas in four districts of Mizoram have been declared as epicentres of the African swine fever (ASF) that has so far killed 1,119 pigs in a month.
Joint Director (livestock health) of the State’s Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department Lalhmingthanga said Lungsen village and Lunglei Electric Veng in Lunglei district, Armed Veng and Edenthar areas in Aizawl district, Keitum village in Serchhip district and Vaipi-I in Siaha district have been marked ASF epicentres.
“Five of Mizoram’s 11 districts — Aizawl, Lunglei, Serchhip, Mamit and Siaha — are currently affected by ASF. Mamit has not been declared as an epicentre although some ASF-related pig deaths have been reported there,” he said.
The first pig deaths were reported from Lungsen village on March 21. ASF was confirmed as the cause of death on April 16 by the Bhopal-based National Institute of High Security Animal Disease laboratory.
Officials have calculated the loss to pig farmers at more than ₹4.47 crore.
Arunachal Pradesh was the first State in the northeast to report “unusual” pig deaths in mid-2020. The disease was identified as ASF after domestic pigs started dying on a large scale in adjoining Assam.
The threat of the disease subsided after it had killed more than 17,000 pigs across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya. Officials said ASF cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans.
