Several panchayats in this north Kerala district have been declared surveillance zones after African swine fever, a highly contagious and fatal disease of pigs, was detected in the rotting carcass of a wild boar, the district administration said on Friday (November 7).
The corpse was found at a place called Marutha and the disease is not contagious to humans, he added.
District Collector VR Vinod has declared Vazhikkadavu, Edakkara, Pothukallu, Chungathara, Karulai and Muthedam grama panchayats, which fall within a radius of 10 km from the epicenter, as surveillance zones.
Since there are no pig farms within one kilometer of the epicenter, there is no need to cull any pigs, the district administration said in a report. However, restrictions were imposed on the sale and distribution of pork, the operation of shops involved in it and the transport of animals to and from the surveillance zone, she said.
The sale and distribution of pigs, pork and related products have been banned in the surveillance zones, she said, adding that their transportation to and from these areas is also banned.
If symptoms similar to those of African swine fever virus infection are detected in pigs in other parts of the district, farmers should inform the relevant veterinary officer, the district office said. It stated that the disease was only found in pigs and could not be transmitted to other animals or humans.
At the same time, due to the lack of a vaccine or other preventive medicine, there is a risk of mass death of pigs. Therefore, precautionary measures are being taken to prevent the spread of the disease to other areas of the district, he said.
Published – 07 Nov 2025 21:44 IST
