Kanpur: Presence of African swine fever virus in the city has been confirmed. As this virus infects swine species but does not cause any infection in human beings and other animal species, there is no need to be afraid of this disease in any way, claimed chief veterinary officer Kanpur Nagar Dr RP Mishra here on Friday.
Talking to media persons, Dr Mishra stated that acting following information of death of some pigs in the urban areas of the district, samples of blood serum and viscera were collected from different places of the affected area and were sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases Anand Nagar (ICAR NISHAD) Bhopal for testing .The test report received on Thursday confirmed presence of African virus, he said.
Orders have been issued to strictly implement restrictions to prevent spread of the virus in the bore species areas such as Parampurwa, Nirala Nagar, Babupurwa, Khatikana, Govind Nagar, Fazalganj etc, he said. As preventive measures, besides movement of pigs, sale of pork has completely been banned in the disease affected areas, he said.
“Sale of pigs and products made from pigs has completely been banned in the disease affected areas and intensive cleaning is being done in these areas. The staff of the local body has been asked to start disinfection and sanitization work in these areas on war-footing under the supervision of veterinary officer Kanpur Nagar”, Dr Mishra said.
A campaign, he said, should be started to create awareness among the people about this disease. It must be ensured that pigs are not found to be roaming in the open under any circumstances in the urban and local areas.
Dr Mishra has appealed to all pig owners to keep their animals in enclosures and not let them roam in the city. They have also been asked to take special care regarding cleanliness of animal enclosures, and in case any pig falls ill, the husbandry department and the municipal corporation should be contacted immediately so thate spread of the disease could be prevented by treating the pig in time, he added.