H1N1: 45 stray pigs caught in Mahadevapura

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has begun catching stray pigs in its Mahadevapura zone following public complaints about the outbreak of H1N1 Influenza A infection (swine flu).

At least 48 cases of H1N1 infection have been reported in the Mahadevapura zone alone. On Friday, BBMP workers began catching pigs in Patalamma Layout and Veeraswamy Reddy Layout, which falls under the Kadugodi ward in the zone. Local corporator S Muniswamy said the number of stray pigs had shot up in the neighbourhood, leading to a jump in H1N1 cases. He said about 45 pigs had been caught so far as a precautionary measure.

A BBMP health official, however, debunked the notion that pigs cause H1N1 infection. "Swine flu is an airborne disease. People need not fear pigs but should maintain personal hygiene to avoid the disease," Manoranjan Hegde, chief health officer, BBMP, said.