Patiala’s Manjal Khurd third African Swine Fever containment zone

CHANDIGARH: Manjal Khurd been notified as a containment zone for the prevention of African Swine Fever (ASF). It is third area in Patiala district to become containment zone.
Punjab animal husbandry, fisheries and dairy development minister Laljit Singh Bhullar said on Tuesday that the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR)-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal has confirmed ASF in swine samples from this area. The minister directed the officials of the department to comply with the provisions of the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009 for effectively preventing, controlling, eradicating the scheduled disease. Bhullar said up to a kilometre, from the village declared the epicenter, was considered as ‘infected zones’ while up to 10 km area was classified as ‘surveillance zone.’
The minister said that no live or dead pig (including feral or wild pigs), unprocessed pig meat, feed or any material or goods from the piggery farms or backyard piggery shall be taken out of or brought into the infected zone and no person shall bring or attempt to bring into the market any pig or pig products which was known to be infected with the disease.
The district authorities in Patiala have so far culled around 74 pigs falling in the infected zone and had sent around 35 more samples of the swine for testing.