African swine flu in Kerala pigs won't spread to humans, says Centre

Govt also said that there is no vaccine available yet for this variant of swine flu

African swine flu, currently spreading across a few pig farms in Kerala, is non-zoonotic and will not spread to humans, said the Centre on Sunday.

The authorities have culled as many as 310 pigs at farms in Thrissur district where the disease was first detected.

The government also said that there is no vaccine available yet for this variant of swine flu.

It said the swine flu was first reported in India in May 2020 in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Since then, the disease has spread to around 24 states.

The Union animal husbandry department had formulated a national action plan for control of the swine flu in 2020.

 

It said as far as the current outbreak is concerned, a rapid response team has been constituted by the state’s animal husbandry department. Culling of pigs within a 1-km radius of the epicentre was carried out on July 5.

The statement further said that around 36 farms, spread across nine panchayats and one municipal corporation in Thrissur district, are currently under surveillance. These farms house around 4,010 pigs. Strict instructions have been given to officers for monitoring the animals.

Culling of the pigs was done in accordance with the standard protocol, and then, they were disposed of via deep burial followed by primary disinfection and sanitation.

On zoonotic diseases, the statement further said that zoonoses are infectious diseases that can spread between animals and humans, such as rabies, anthrax, influenza (H1N1 and H5N1), Nipah, Covid and tuberculosis.

These diseases are caused by various pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi.

However, not all animal diseases are zoonotic. Many diseases affect livestock without posing a risk to human health. These non-zoonotic diseases are species-specific and cannot infect humans.

For instance, foot and mouth disease, lumpy skin disease, classical swine fever, and ranikhet disease are non-zoonotic diseases that don’t spread to humans.

“Understanding which diseases are zoonotic is crucial for effective public health strategies and preventing unnecessary fear and stigmatisation of animals,” the official statement said.

India boasts of the largest livestock population, with 536 million livestock and 851 million poultry. These account for approximately 11 per cent and 18 per cent of the global livestock and poultry population, respectively.

Also, India is the largest producer of milk and the second-largest producer of eggs globally, the statement added.