Classical Swine Fever | 23 Apr 2020
Why in News
Recently, few districts of eastern Assam have reported the death of more than 1,300 pigs within a week due to the classical swine fever (CSF).
Key Points
- It has added to the worries of the pig farmers who are already troubled due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
- Assam has the most farmed pigs in the country according to the 20th livestock census from 2012-2019.
- The pork market in the region is more than $1 billion.
- Data shows that the eight north-eastern States with Assam at its core consume more than 65% of the 4.26 lakh metric tonnes of pork produced in the country.
- Classical Swine Fever is also known as hog cholera and is a contagious viral disease of domestic and wild swine.
- Unlike Swine Flu (H1N1) that attacks humans, classical swine fever is a viral disease that affects pigs only. It can be controlled by proper vaccination of pigs in time.
- African Swine Fever is another kind of swine fever.
- Prevention and Control:
- Treatment is not attempted.
- Affected pigs must be slaughtered and the carcass buried or burnt.
- The first barrier to prevent an outbreak of the CSF is to apply strict and rigorous sanitary treatment.
- Vaccination can prevent the spread of the disease.
- The OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code defines the requirements for a country or a zone to be considered free of the disease.
- Treatment is not attempted.
World Organisation for Animal Health
- OIE is an intergovernmental organisation responsible for improving animal health worldwide.
- In 2018, it had a total of 182 Member Countries. India is one of the member countries.
- OIE standards are recognised by the World Trade Organization as reference international sanitary rules.
- It is headquartered in Paris, France.