African swine flu among domestic animals! pig dies in Namakkal farm

TIRUCHY/CHENNAI: After a first suspected case of a domesticated animal testing positive for African swine flu in the State, 20 pigs in the same farm at Rasipuram in Namakkal has been isolated. Earlier this year, over 50 wild boars had died due to the disease in the State.

While officials are monitoring in around a nine-km radius to inspect whether any other fever cases have been reported, Namakkal Collector Shreya P Singh has asked the people not to panic as the disease might not spread to humans or other cattle species.

It is said, on March 9, one of the pigs in a farm owned by K Rajamani at Kallangulam near Rasipuram died of sudden illness and the animal husbandry officials at Namakkal Veterinary College sent samples to the Central University Laboratory in Chennai and National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal, the results of which has confirmed positive for African swine flu.

On Friday, a team led by the Joint Director (Animal Husbandry) Dr S Baskar instructed the farm owner Rajamani to isolate the remaining 20 pigs.

He also said people have been informed to be cautious and sought the permission of the Collector for culling the animals.

“They will be culled and buried deeply in an isolated spot in the farm itself,” Dr Baskar said.