Aizawl, Aug 5 : Mizoram has been battling a severe outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) since mid-March, which has left over 7,300 pigs dead and affected around 2,800 families across 116 villages and localities in seven districts, officials said on Tuesday.

A senior official of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department (AHVD) said that the spread of the highly infectious disease shows no signs of slowing down.

So far, the AHVD teams have culled around 2,900 pigs in a bid to contain the outbreak.

Siaha district in southern Mizoram remains the worst affected, with over 3,300 pig deaths reported in 38 villages and localities, affecting 1,250 families. A total of 945 pigs have been culled in the district as a containment measure.

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

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.

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

Deputy Director (DI&E), Dr Esther Lalzoliani, 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 then so far a total of 69,411 pigs have died due to ASF, with 52,194 culled to prevent further spread.

The outbreak has affected 11,382 households, resulting in an estimated financial loss of Rs 982.16 crore, the 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.

In Monday's meeting, officials informed the Governor that ASF has become endemic in Mizoram, making the implementation of a vaccination program the most viable solution for containment. However, as no ASF vaccine is available in India, they raised the need to explore importing vaccines from Vietnam, where they are being developed.

The officials also highlighted challenges in securing funds from the Central government, which has limited their ability to provide adequate compensation.

The AHVD officials reported that Mizoram is among 14 states selected for the first phase of the Pandemic Fund Project to strengthen its Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, with plans to achieve NABL accreditation upon completion.

An official said that the Governor expressed grave concern over the devastating impact of ASF, which has caused significant economic losses and disrupted livelihoods across Mizoram for the past four years.

Highlighting the department's limited capacity to manage the outbreak independently, he called for enhanced collaboration with other government departments and increased public participation to strengthen containment efforts. General Singh (retd) urged stakeholders to intensify measures to curb the spread of ASF and mitigate its severe socio-economic consequences, assuring full support for the challenges and proposals presented by the Veterinary Department, the official added.

/IANS