Kottayam: As the spread of the dreaded African swine fever continues unabated in parts of Kottayam district, the authorities have initiated swift action by culling 181 more pigs on Thursday.

The disease was confirmed in two pig farms in Arpookkara and Mulakkulam panchayats. In Arpookkara a total of 98 pigs, including 67 piglets, and in Mulakkulam, a total of 83 pigs, including 33 piglets, were killed. Though the first case was reported in Arpookkara on October 11, the result of the test confirming swine flu came from the lab in Bengaluru recently.

This is for the first time that the disease is severely impacting the district. Last week, the disease-infected pigs were killed in Paika. The pig dies within one week of being afflicted with the disease. All pigs within a one-kilometer radius of the affected farms will have to be culled.

The disease spread is giving anxious moments to farmers who are eyeing the festival season in December. If the farms are closed, it will hit the removal of waste from hotels too. The majority of hotel waste is used as feed for the pigs on the farms.

The disease was first confirmed in the state in Wayanad. Later, it spread to Kannur, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Kottayam districts.

African Swine Fever (ASF) is a deadly and highly contagious viral disease affecting domestic and wild pigs. Though it’s not a danger to humans, it has devastating effects on pig populations and the farming economy. There is currently no effective vaccine against ASF.

What to do

• Don’t bring pigs or piglets to farms from outside
  
• Don’t take the pigs to some other farms for breeding
• Don’t allow vehicles from other farms to your farm
• Don’t allow workers from other farms into your farm
• Avoid visits to the farms