News Highlights
African swine fever was confirmed on a private pig farm in Kannur.
Key Takeaways.
- The Animal Husbandry department has been instructed to monitor pigs on farms within a radius of 10 km of this area.
- A special squad has been formed to monitor the state’s borders, and inspections have been intensified.
African Swine Fever(ASF):
- It is a highly contagious viral disease in pigs.
- In its acute form, the disease generally results in high mortality.
Symptoms
- The incubation period for ASF is variable but is usually between five and fifteen days.
- In the acute form, pigs develop a high temperature.
- Other symptoms can vary but will include some or all of the following:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea (sometimes bloody)
- Reddening or darkening of the skin
- Gummed up eyes
- Laboured breathing and coughing
- Abortion, stillbirths, and weak litter
- Weakness and unwillingness to stand
Where is this disease found?
- It was first detected in Africa in the 1920s.
- Traditionally, this serious disease has occurred mainly in Africa.
- The only endemic area in the European Union (EU) is the Italian island of Sardinia.
- However, in 2017, the disease was reported in other parts of Central and Eastern Europe (Romania and the Czech Republic).
Public health risk:
African Swine Fever is not a human health threat.
How is the disease transmitted?
- African Swine Fever can be spread through
- Direct contact with infected pigs, faeces, or body fluids.
- Indirect contact via fomites such as equipment, vehicles, or people who work with pigs.
- Pigs eating infected pig meat or meat products
- Biological vectors – ticks of the species Ornithodoros.
Vaccines
- Recently, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research- Indian Veterinary Research Institute (ICAR-IVRI) developed a Cell Culture CSF Vaccine (live attenuated) using the Lapinized Vaccine Virus from a foreign strain.
- The new vaccine has been found to induce protective immunity from day 14 of the vaccination till 18 months.
World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), formerly the Office International des Epizooties (OIE).
- The OIE is an intergovernmental organisation tasked with enhancing animal health all over the world.
- It is headquartered in Paris, France.
- There are 181 member nations. India is one of the participating nations.
- The OIE creates normative documents containing guidelines that its member nations can employ to safeguard themselves against spreading illnesses and infections.
- The Terrestrial Animal Health Code is one of them.
- The World Trade Organisation recognises OIE standards as traditional global sanitary standards.
Pic Courtesy: freepik
Content Source: The Hindu