Aizawl, Sep 30 : Northeastern state of Mizoram has been battling a severe outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) since mid-March, which has left over 9,380 pigs dead and affected around 3,690 families across 162 villages and localities in eight districts, officials said on Tuesday.

A senior official of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department (AHVD) said that the fast-spreading disease continues to surge with no indication of easing.

So far, the AHVD teams in eight districts have culled around 3455 pigs in a bid to contain the outbreak.

"Since March this year, pig farmers in Mizoram have suffered an estimated loss of Rs 110.36 crore so far," the official told IANS.

Siaha district in southern Mizoram remains the worst affected, with over 3,380 pig deaths reported in 38 villages and localities, affecting 1,295 families. Around 935 pigs have been culled in the district as a containment measure.

Besides Siaha, the other major affected districts are Lawngtlai, Khawzawl, Hnahthial, Lunglei, Serchhip, Mamit, and Champhai.

After Siaha, Lawngtlai district follows closely behind in the outbreak of the disease, with 1,771 pig deaths affecting 381 families across 18 villages. Lunglei district, which has reported the highest number of 1,619 pigs being culled, followed by Siaha district with 935 pigs culled.

The Mizoram government has been urging farmers to remain vigilant and cooperate with AHVD authorities in their efforts to curb the spread of the ASF.

As the highly communicable virus continues to wreak havoc on the state's pig population, preventive measures remain a priority for the authorities to curb further outbreaks.

To contain the outbreak, the veterinary department has implemented mass culling in the affected regions and districts.

Several teams of AHVD are on a regular visit to the affected areas to monitor the situation closely and take immediate steps to curb the spread of the disease.

Earlier, Mizoram Governor General Vijay Kumar Singh (retd) held a review meeting with senior officials of the AHVD and discussed the ongoing ASF outbreak in the state.

Officials giving a detailed overview of the ASF situation in Mizoram and its critical aspects, said that the first ASF case in Mizoram was reported at Lungsen village in Lunglei district on March 21, 2021.

Since March 2021, so far around 72,000 pigs have died due to ASF, with over 53,000 culled to prevent further spread.

The outbreak has affected 11,382 households, resulting in an estimated financial loss of around Rs 1,000 crore, an AHVD official said. Through the assistance to the state for control of animal disease and the state government, Rs 1,451.915 lakh has been disbursed as compensation for culled pigs, while an additional Rs 477.08 lakh has been provided through the Mizoram Disaster Management and Rehabilitation (DM&R) Department for pigs lost to the disease.

The ASF, which, however, does not affect humans, is a highly infectious disease among pigs and poses a severe threat with a very high mortality rate.

Pork is one of the most common and popular meats consumed by both the tribals and non-tribals in the Northeastern region, comprising eight states.

With heavy demand for pork in the Northeast region, its annual business is worth around Rs 8,000-10,000 crore, with Assam being the largest supplier.

Myanmar's Chin state has unfenced border with six Mizoram districts -- Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual and Serchhip.

Mizoram shares 510 km and 318 km unfenced border with Myanmar and Bangladesh respectively. Experts said cross-border ferrying of pigs and pork might be one of the reasons for the ASF outbreak in Mizoram.

/IANS