The contagious African Swine Fever (ASF) has been detected in pigs at Central Agricultural University (CAU), Eroisemba in Manipur’s Imphal West district, officials said on Friday.
Manipur government secretary (veterinary & animal husbandry) Michael Achom on Friday issued a notification confirming the outbreak and notified Imphal West district as a “controlled area for ASF”.
“With the confirmation of the outbreak based on the laboratory report which arrived here on Thursday from North Eastern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Khanapara, Guwahati, the Imphal West district is notified as a controlled area for African swine fever with immediate effect to prevent, control and eradicate the scheduled disease,” read the notification.
“Moreover, pig farm, CAU Eroisemba Imphal West District, is declared as ‘epicentre’ of African swine fever,’ says the notification.
With the notification of the controlled area of the ASF, the concerned authorities have initiated immediate measures, said a senior official of the state veterinary & animal husbandry department.
The containment and eradication of ASF in the ‘infected zone’ covering a 1 km radius of infected premises, ‘surveillance zone’ covering a 10 km radius from infected premises (or 9 km outside the infected zone) and ‘free zone’ beyond surveillance zone, have also been initiated, officials conveyed.
“No pig shall be moved from the place where it is kept within the controlled area and no person shall take out any animal of the notified species from the controlled area, dead or alive, which is infected or reasonably suspected to have been infected and any kind of feed or material which could have come into contact with such animal,” the notification further read.
{{/usCountry}}“No pig shall be moved from the place where it is kept within the controlled area and no person shall take out any animal of the notified species from the controlled area, dead or alive, which is infected or reasonably suspected to have been infected and any kind of feed or material which could have come into contact with such animal,” the notification further read.
{{/usCountry}}“Any person who contravenes the provisions of the Act or obstructs the competent officer performing duties under the Act shall be guilty of an offence and punishable under the Act,” it added.
It may be mentioned that the ASF outbreak was detected earlier at a piggery farm in Manipur’s Kamjong district in June last year. It was also detected in January 2021.