The first case of African swine flu has been reported in India amid Corona crisis. The Assam government has said that the first case of African swine flu has been found in the state and more than 2,500 pigs died in 306 villages. Assam Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Minister Atul Bora said in a press conference that the state government would take any other route to prevent the spread of this deadly infectious disease rather than killing pigs immediately, even after getting approval from the Center.
He told that this disease has nothing to do with Covid-19. Bora said, "The National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) Bhopal has confirmed that it is African Swine Flu (ASF). The central government has told us that this is the first case of the disease in the country. "He said that according to the calculation of 2019 by the department, the total number of pigs was around 21 lakh but now it has increased to about 30 lakh.
He said that only those pigs would be killed who are infected. The state government has urged the neighboring states to stop the movement of pigs here, so as to prevent the spread of infection. He said that we have changed the radius of 10 km into surveillance zone so that pigs are not allowed to move from there. The veterinary department will collect samples and examine them within a kilometer radius of the affected area.
Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 patients in Assam has increased to 41. 29 patients were discharged from the hospital while one infected person died. Currently 11 patients are under treatment. At the same time, a new 'red zone' has emerged in Bongaigaon state, where five cases have been reported in a week. Apart from Bongaigaon, there are five other districts in Assam – Golaghat, Nalbari, Dhubri, Gwalpara and Morigaon.
