AIZAWL:
Officials of the Mizoram animal husbandry and veterinary department, on August 4, said that samples extracted from carcasses of wild boars, found dead in July at two places in the jungles of Mizoram-Myanmar border Champhai district, have confirmed they were killed by African Swine Fever (ASF) infections.
The officials said that while one carcass of a wild boar was found on July 1 near Samthang village, three more were found in the jungle near Leisenzo village on July 27.
The samples were extracted by veterinary department officials and they were tested at the RT-PCR laboratory in the Disease Investigation laboratory of the state veterinary department in Aizawl where the samples were found to be infected with the ASF. It was also confirmed by the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal where the samples were tested again, Champhai District Veterinary Officer, Dr. B Lallawmsanga said.
Meanwhile, with the deaths of 34 pigs on Thursday, the total number of ASF infections in the state, since the recurrence of the outbreak in early March, rose to 9,891 pigs and piglets.
ASF infected areas have been identified in 134 villages in 10 districts of Mizoram. So far 1,010 pigs have died in 67 villages which are yet to be declared as infected areas though the cause of the deaths is suspected to be due to ASF.
At least 149 pigs were culled on Thursday, taking the total number of pigs culled since the recurrence of the ASF outbreak in March to 8,486.
Officials said that compensation for pigs culled during the ASF outbreak in the state last year, amounting to over Rs 10.48 crore, is being distributed to 2,488 families through Direct Benefit Transfer.
At least 12,568 pigs have been culled during the ASF outbreak in Mizoram which was first detected on March 21, 2021 at Mizoram-Bangladesh border Lungsen village in South Mizoram’s Lunglei district.
The first ASF outbreak, which hit the state during 2021, was declared as contained by early January 2022, but it again emerged in early March.