Amid the coronavirus pandemic, another disease outbreak is affecting thousands of animals in Assam.
Since February, over 2,900 pigs have died in the state due to African Swine Fever (ASF), which does not affect humans but can be catastrophic for pigs.
This is the first time that an ASF outbreak has been reported in India.
What is African Swine Fever (ASF)?
ASF is a severe viral disease that affects wild and domestic pigs typically resulting in an acute haemorrhagic fever.
The disease has a case fatality rate (CFR) of about 100 percent. Its routes of transmission include direct contact with an infected or wild pig (alive or dead), indirect contact through ingestion of contaminated material such as food waste, feed or garbage or through biological vectors such as ticks.
The disease is characterised by the sudden deaths of pigs. Other manifestations of the disease include high fever, depression, anorexia, loss of appetite, haemorrhages in the skin, vomiting and diarrhoea among others.
Even so, while ASF is lethal, it is less infectious than other animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease.
But as of now, there is no approved vaccine, which is also a reason why animals are culled to prevent the spread of infection.
The ASF causing virus is believed to have entered Europe for the first time in 1957 when it was introduced into Portugal from West Africa.
How did the current outbreak start?
As per the latest update issued by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the current outbreak of ASF has affected China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Republic of Korea and Indonesia among others.
In China,the first ASF outbreak was confirmed in August 2018 and since then more than 1 million pigs have been culled in the country.
In Vietnam, the ASF outbreak was confirmed in February 2019 and since then over 6 million pigs have been culled.
Late last month, the Assam government decided to ban the slaughter and sale of pork awaiting test results of samples that were sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal. It was later confirmed that the samples were positive for ASF.
Pigs from two districts of Arunachal Pradesh have also tested positive as per the NIHSAD test results.
How is ASF different from swine flu?
Swine influenza or swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs, which is caused by type A influenzavirus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pig populations.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), while the swine flu causing virus leads to a high number of infections in pig herds, the disease is not as fatal and causes fewdeaths. Specific swine influenza vaccines are available for pigs.
The swine flu viruses are spread among pigs through close contact and through contaminated objects moving between infected and uninfected pigs.
Symptoms include fever, depression, coughing, discharge from the nose and eyes, eye redness or inflammation.
Further, while swine flu viruses don’t typically infecthumans, cases have been reported in the past (for instance during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic), most commonly when humans have contact with infected pigs.
When humans are infected with swine flu viruses, the symptoms are similar to human seasonal influenza and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing.
How is the Assam government planning to deal with the disease?
Since ASF has no vaccination, it is advisable that the infected pigs are culled.
Currently, the dead pigs are undergoing deep burials, with salt and bleaching powder.
However, cases of pig carcasses floating down rivers have been reported from districts in Assam. In Kaziranga National Park, seven carcasses were detected floating down the Brahmaputra.
The authorities have advised all pig farmers to contain the spread through bio-security.
Since this disease spreads through contact, it is important that the area is cleaned with disinfectant and the pigs are not let out.
What is the impact ASF will have on pig farmers?
Pig farmers in Assam describe the outbreak as a “double whammy” since the COVID-19 lockdown was already impacting sales negatively.
The outbreak also ruins the prospect of the Northeastern states as a hub for the export of pork
The export of pork from the states has been banned since the disease was reported.
