The outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF), which has claimed over 1,700 pigs in more than a month in different parts of Mizoram, is yet to be contained, an official said on Thursday.
State animal husbandry and veterinary department joint director (Livestock Health) Dr Lalhmingthanga said that the dreaded pig disease is spreading further to other areas even though the daily death toll in the epicentre showed a declining trend for a few weeks.
Earlier, the state government had declared Lungsen village and Lunglei’s Electric Veng locality in Lunglei district, Armed Veng and Edenthar neighbourhoods in Aizawl, Keitum village in Serchhip district and a locality (Vaipi-I) in south Mizoram Siaha town as “epicentre” of ASF.
Lalhmingthanga said that some more areas will be declared as the epicentre and affected areas of the pig disease on Friday.
According to him, at least 1,728 pigs have died due to ASF since the first such death was reported on March 21 at Lungsen village in Lunglei district near the Bangladesh border.
The monetary losses caused by the ASF have been estimated at Rs 6.91 crore, he said.
He said that at least 21 pig deaths due to ASF were reported on Thursday.
The pig disease has currently affected five districts- Aizawl, Lunglei, Serchhip, Lawngtlai and Mamit, according to Lalhmingthanga.
At least 866 unusual death pigs have been reported so far in different parts of the state outside the affected areas of ASF, he said.
Samples of the dead pigs have been already collected for tests and the cause of the “death” is yet to be established, he said.
The sources of ASF infection is suspected to be caused by live pigs imported from neighbouring Bangladesh and Myanmar, officials said.