African Swine Fever confirmed in two farms in Kerala

Representative Image. Pic/iStock

African Swine Fever was confirmed at two private farms in Uzhavoor Panchayat near here, district officials said on Monday.

The administration has begun culling of 66 pigs in one kilometer locality.

District Collector P K Jayasree said pigs in the farms were culled and the carcasses were burned following due protocol.

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"We have begun the culling which is expected to be completed by tonight. The farms and adjacent areas will be sanitised," the Collector said in a statement.

The Animal Husbandry Department said steps are taken to prevent the disease from being spread.

The authorities have banned the transportation of pigs, its food and other related matter from the region.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, African Swine Fever (ASF) is a highly contagious and fatal viral disease of domestic pigs.

It was first discovered in Kenya, East Africa, in 1921, and soon afterwards in South Africa and Angola, as a disease that killed settlers' pigs. Contact with warthogs was proven to be important in transmission of the virus.

Responsible for massive losses in pig populations and drastic economic consequences, African swine fever (ASF) has become a major crisis for the pork industry in recent years, woah.org has said.

Currently affecting several regions around the world, and with no effective vaccine, the disease is not only impeding animal health and welfare but has also detrimental impacts on biodiversity and the livelihoods of farmers, it said on its website.

The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) works with its partners, industry and experts to support countries in their efforts to prevent and control this devastating pig disease.

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