An outbreak of African swine fever, a severe and highly contagious disease affecting pigs, has been confirmed at a farm in Kumarakom village panchayat in Kottayam, officials said on Saturday.

Following the detection, authorities declared the area within a one-kilometre radius of the infected farm as a disease-affected zone, while a 10-km radius around it has been categorised as a disease surveillance zone, as per the order issued by the District Collector.

In response to the situation, the District Collector instructed that stringent precautionary steps be implemented across the district, an official statement said. “The distribution of pork and operations of shops selling it in affected areas have to be suspended until further notice,” the statement added.

Additionally, the transportation of pork, pigs, and feed to and from the contaminated area has been temporarily prohibited. Authorities said all pigs at the affected farm and those located within a one-kilometre radius will be culled in accordance with the Central Government’s guidelines.

They also noted that a rapid response team will be set up to oversee and coordinate control measures related to the outbreak.
(With PTI Inputs)