Pork banned in UP's Aligarh due to African swine fever outbreak

Following confirmation of African swine fever, the Aligarh District Magistrate sounded an alert and pork was banned. Chief Veterinarian said that the African swine fever virus affects only pigs. This virus was found in the North East in 2019 for the first time in the country.

Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh) : African swine fever has been confirmed in pigs in Aligarh. After this, the District Magistrate has declared an alert in the area. Along with this, a ban has been imposed on pork and its products. At the same time, instructions have been given to do sanitization and intensive cleaning. Chief Veterinarian Dr MP Singh said that the virus in African swine affects only pigs.

Chief Veterinary Officer Dr MP Singh said that for the first time in the country, this virus was found in the North East in 2019. After this, now this virus has been found in Aligarh. Earlier it was found in Southeast Asia. Later, it entered India. This virus does not affect any human or any other animal except pigs, he said. This is a disease exclusively found in pigs.

In fact, some pigs died on May 1 at the Pig Breeding Center, CDF Center on Anupshahar Road. After this, the Chief Veterinary Officer informed the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izzatnagar, Bareilly. Following this, a team from Bareilly took the samples of the pigs on 2 May.

Finally, the African virus was confirmed on 5 May. Eventually, District Magistrate Indra Vikram Singh put a complete ban on pork and its related products. A ban on pork meat sales came into effect in Aligarh. As per the instructions of the DM, the movement of pigs has been completely banned in the affected area. Organizing any type of pig sale market will be strictly prohibited.

Along with this, the work of intensive cleaning, disinfection and sanitization near the CDF Center is being done by the local bodies on a war footing. A treatment awareness campaign for pigs suffering from this disease is also being run.