CLOSE TO 900 pigs have died during the month of February and March, which is quite a natural phenomenon. No unnatural increase in the number of pig deaths has been noticed recently. Therefore, the scare related to these deaths is totally unfounded, the Directorate of Veterinary Services has reiterated.
However, orders have been issued to carry out vaccination for swine fever in the seven districts of Indore, Hoshangabad, Jabalpur, Ujjain, Khandwa, Guna and Bhopal. Field officials have also been directed to collect information related to dead pigs.
The dead swine are to be disposed by cremating or burying with the help of local civic bodies after their postmortem. The Commissioner of Veterinary Services, Dr Rajesh Rajora has yet again mentioned that in the post mortems conducted on dead pigs, the reasons for death came out as various diseases including nephritis, pneumonia and swine fever.
Two samples from dead swine have been sent to IVRI, Bareilli and two to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal for further confirmation.
The directorate is repeatedly trying to allay fear among people following the recent bird flu scare in the country. It has said that although swine are silent carriers of bird flu virus it does not cause death in them, and thus, creating a scare because of some deaths of pigs is not right.
The State is still free of bird flu virus with as many as 960 samples sent out to HSADL testing negative.
The State is still free of bird flu virus with as many as 960 samples sent out to HSADL testing negative.