The African Swine Fever (ASF) that has killed over 2,500 pigs in Assam amid the coronavirus pandemic, originated in China and spread through neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh, Assam government claimed.
“According to information available with us so far, the coronavirus originated in Xinjiang province in China in April last year and spread through Arunachal Pradesh. Later affected the upper Assam districts and so far affected 306 villages,” Assam agriculture and animal husbandry minister Atul Bora said after a meeting to take stock of the situation.
The department had earlier banned sale and consumption of pork meat in six districts, some of which shares the border with Arunachal Pradesh. “Recently, 230 pigs died in a farm in Dhemaji district. And later we came to know that the virus spread from a man, who got infected with the ASF. It came to light that some pigs died earlier in his house,” Bora said. The fever, however, is not fatal for humans.
Panic gripped the piggery farmers in Assam as it affected their livelihoods amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Worried over the situation, the Centre asked Assam and Arunachal Pradesh to go for culling to contain the spread of the virus.
Assam, however, has started culling the infected or most vulnerable pigs as part of its drive to check further spread of the virus.
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