As many as 43 pigs on a farm where African swine fever (ASF) outbreak was detected were culled in Idukki on Tuesday.
On Monday, the Animal Husbandry department officials received test results that confirmed ASF outbreak on a private pig farm at Padamukham under Vathikudy panchayat near Cheruthoni in Idukki.
District Collector Sheeba George, chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority, ordered immediate culling of the pigs and burying of carcasses to contain the disease from spreading. Areas within a radius of 10 km of the epicentre have been declared as surveillance areas.
Nishanth M. Prabha, Idukki district epidemiologist, said that 43 pigs were culled in the ASF-affected farm on Tuesday. It was decided to cull all the pigs within a 1-km radius of the affected farm as a preventive measure to avoid spread of the disease. However, there were no other pig farms in the area,” Mr Prabha said.
“Mass culling is the only way to prevent the disease,” Mr Prabha said.
The areas falling within the one-km radius of the affected farm includes wards 4,13,14,15,16 in the Vathikudy panchayat. The areas under surveillance include Vathikkudy, Kamakshi, Mariyapuram, and Vazhathope Panchayats.
According to officials, Padamukham resident Beena Joseph started the pig farm around 10 years ago. Within one week, nearly 170 pigs died on the farm. After repeated deaths, the owner approached Animal Husbandry department officials.
