Staff Reporter
Guwahati: Since the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in 2020, after a gap of several decades, Assam hasn’t been able to rid itself of this menace. Several districts in the state are still in the grip of ASF, with scores of pigs dead and many culled by the state Animal Husbandry & Veterinary department in 2025.
Sources in the Veterinary department told The Sentinel, “Usually ASF outbreaks in the state are witnessed more in the summer season. Despite the lowering of temperatures since the end of September, ASF cases have been increasing this year, unlike previous years, when such cases decreased. Recently, ASF has been recorded in the districts of Sivasagar, Barpeta, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, and Dibrugarh, etc. Dhemaji is the worst-affected in recent times. In the year 2025, more than 200 epicentres of ASF have been detected in Assam as of now. Around 2,500 pigs have died from the disease, and nearly 6,000 were culled by the authorities this year. Cumulatively, around 45,000 perished from the disease, and 12,000 pigs were culled by our department since the latest outbreak in 2020.”
It is a matter of concern that no vaccine for this dreaded disease has been discovered so far. The virus is transmitted from pig to pig but not to humans. If a pig dies from the virus, it has to be buried at least six feet deep from the surface, with bleaching powder scattered over the dead pig.
The veterinary department source further said, “If fever-like conditions in pigs are seen, there may be a possibility of ASF infecting the pigs. In such a situation, the nearest Veterinary hospital or sub-centre should be informed immediately by pig farmers. In areas where the administration has banned the sale of pork, there must not be any sale or purchase of the meat.”
The government provides compensation to farmers if pigs are culled because of ASF. So far, Rs 18.50 lakh has been disbursed to farmers by the government as compensation for the culling of pigs. The range of compensation varies from Rs 2,200 to Rs 15,000 per pig, according to its weight.
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