Durg, April 7 An outbreak of the highly contagious African swine fever (ASF) has been confirmed at a private pig farm in a village in the Durg district of Chhattisgarh, prompting authorities to cull 83 pigs as a preventive measure, officials said on Tuesday.
Pigs at the farm in Mudpar village, under the Dhamdha development block, had been dying one after another over the past few days, leading its owner to approach the district veterinary department on April 1, Durg's Deputy Director (veterinary services) Wasim Shams said.
A veterinary team reached the site on April 2, collected samples, and sent them to a laboratory in Bhopal for testing. The samples tested positive for ASF on April 6, triggering immediate containment measures, he said.
Following the confirmation, the veterinary team swiftly culled 83 pigs using injections. The carcasses were then buried as a precautionary step in accordance with standard protocols, Shams said.
Authorities have declared a 1-km radius around the affected farm as an "infected zone," while areas within a 10-km radius have been designated as "surveillance zones."
Movement of pigs is restricted in the infected zone, while controlled movement is allowed in the surveillance zone.
Shams said that African swine fever is a highly contagious viral disease among pigs, for which there is currently no treatment or vaccine. As per Government of India guidelines, culling and safe disposal of carcasses remain the only effective methods to control its spread.
He clarified that the disease spreads only among pigs and does not affect humans or other animals.