African Swine Fever Detected in Pigs in Chitwan District

African Swine Fever has been detected in pigs being raised in Chitwan district. The infection began to appear as the heat increased.

The District Animal Services Office stated that the infection was found in a commercial farm in Ichhakamana Rural Municipality and a pig farm in Bharatpur Metropolitan City-8.

According to Dr. Sabita Gyawali, a veterinarian at the office, 70 pigs raised in Ichhakamana have died due to the disease, while four pigs in Bharatpur have also succumbed to the infection. Since this is a virus-borne disease, no medicine is currently available for it.

African Swine Fever is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus in domestic pigs, wild boars, and swine species, resulting in high mortality rates. This disease was first confirmed in Nepal on Jestha 2, 2079 BS. The disease spreads through direct contact between infected pigs, as well as through the saliva, feces, blood, meat, and contaminated feed and water of sick pigs.

Furthermore, Gyawali informed that it can spread through the transportation or sale of sick pigs, or through the use of clothing, shoes, or sandals used by workers in infected pens or by people visiting infected pens.

The office reported that symptoms in pigs suffering from this disease include staying clustered together, the appearance of blue spots on the body, blood clots on the tips of the ears, nasal discharge, high fever (104 to 107 degrees Fahrenheit), redness of the skin on the ears, tail, and lower abdomen, lethargy, loss of appetite, vomiting, restlessness, unsteady gait, and abortion.

To prevent this, she advised adopting measures such as keeping pigs confined in pens when farming, restricting unnecessary human traffic into the pig pens, and implementing biosecurity measures on the pig farm. Gyawali stated that if new pigs are brought from outside herds, they should be quarantined for 21 days without mixing them with the existing herd, and only introduced after no disease is observed. Regular cleaning of the pig pens and surrounding farm areas using lime, phenol, formalin, bleaching powder, etc., for disinfection, and isolating sick pigs from the herd can reduce losses.