African Swine Fever hits Sivasagar, Assam; Neighboring Nagaland issues advisory 

The Office of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) , Mokokchung and the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), Tuli, Mokokchung, has issued a general advisory cautioning the public to avoid buying and consuming pork sourced from Assam. This follows a confirmed outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the Sivasagar District of Assam.

The advisory from the ADC Tuli, dated November 26, 2024, states: “Based on the Notification issued by the Office of the District Commissioner, Sivasagar, Assam, this is to inform all the general public to avoid buying and consumption of pork from Assam. Further, this Office has received information that there is a confirmed case of African Swine Fever Disease (ASF) in neighbouring Sivasagar District of Assam.”

Residents in the Tuli Sub-Division have been instructed to report any pig deaths in their areas to the Veterinary Department immediately. The advisory further requests local authorities to disseminate this information within their respective jurisdictions.
Similarly, DC Mokokchung also advised residents to abstain from buying pork that has been imported from the affected District and its contiguous regions.

Further, any anomaly behaviours or death of pigs have been asked to be reported to the nearest office of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Services department for prompt mitigation.

The notification from the Office of the District Commissioner, Sivasagar, dated November 19, 2024, officially declared the villages Ekarani Grant and Bor Deodhai Japisajia as the “epicenter” of the outbreak. Surrounding areas within a 1 km radius have been marked as “Infected Zones,” while villages within a 10 km radius fall under the “Surveillance Zone.”

The Sivasagar District Magistrate, Aayush Garg, IAS, issued a prohibitory order to curb the spread of ASF, stating: “Transportation of live pigs, pig products, and pork meat is prohibited within the entire Sivasagar District. The sale, slaughter, or purchase of pigs is completely prohibited, and carcasses of deceased pigs must be deeply buried with all biosecurity measures in place.”

The order further emphasizes the importance of maintaining strict biosecurity by pig producers and breeders and prohibits the transportation of pig feed without prior approval from the Veterinary Department. Violators of the order will face punitive action under Section 223 BNS.

MT