SHILLONG: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said on Tuesday there are no reports of swine fever in the state and the government is awaiting test reports of the samples from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
Speaking to the media persons, Sangma said the samples have been sent to Bhopal (Bhopal High Security Laboratory).
The state government on Monday banned import of pigs after nearly 2,000 pigs died in Assam. For now, inter-district transportation of pigs is also banned. The samples from the two affected states were sent to Bhopal in a special chartered plane.
GMRK Marak, the director of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department, told The Shillong Times separately that the state is maintaining strict vigil on local piggeries.
When asked what experts are suspecting the new infection to be, Marak reiterated that the Bhopal laboratory will send the reports. However, a government report from Ampati mentioned that the new infection is suspected to be African Swine Fever, or ASF, which is a severe viral disease affecting domestic and wild pigs.
The department has already activated its rapid response teams to monitor in case of any report of the disease in the state and to disinfect affected areas, if any.
“There should be proper disposal of the carcass by burying it deep underground and disinfecting the site with lime and other materials,” said Marak, adding that torrential rains may wash away the carcass, “which is unhygienic”.
The state has no testing facility and pig farmers have been asked to observe the physical condition of their animals. The common symptoms of the fever are red patches on the infected animals’ skin and high fever.
The pigs would lie prostrate and breathe heavily. There is currently no vaccine and no treatment and the pigs have to be culled.
According to the World Organisation for Animal Health, ASF may be suspected based on clinical signs but confirmation must be made with laboratory tests, particularly to differentiate it from classical swine fever.
“It (the reported infection) is highly contagious with deep economic implications. But it is not zoonotic, which means that the infection does not transmit from animals to humans,” said Laureata Dkhar, senior AH and Veterinary Officer of State Disease Diagnostic Laboratory of the department.
Marak reassured that there is no harm in consuming local pork and the “safest way” is to boil the meat at 70°C for 25 minutes.
The director informed that a meeting was held on Monday with the chief secretary to discuss the outbreak in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The department is in touch with Assam that in turn is communicating necessary information to other northeastern states.
Last year, Meghalaya launched the piggery mission with the help of Rs 220-crore central fund. The state’s import of pigs has come down to 18-20 per cent over the years as production of pigs has increased.
Over 23.5 lakh pigs are brought in from Lower Assam, Bihar and West Bengal every year and the state production is around 308 lakh.
Other meat demand
The annual consumption of meat in Meghalaya is 43,000 tonne. The department said for now, there is enough local supply to meet demand of pork, beef and poultry. For beef, some animals were imported before the lockdown. “But even if there is a shortage, people are considerate and they have learnt to adjust in this time of lockdown,” said a doctor on condition of anonymity.
For eggs, the state heavily depends on Andhra Pradesh.
On work pressure, the director agreed that the new infection in pigs has put an extra pressure on the vet workforce that is already putting in more work hours for the coronavirus crisis.