Assam minister claims pig deaths in state due to virus which 'came from China'

GUWAHATI: The government in Assam has claimed that the unidentified illness killing hundreds of pigs in the state is African swine flu which "came from China" down the river.

“We suspect this African swine flu has come from China through Arunachal Pradesh. In Assam first this cases were reported in Jonai,” state agriculture minister Atul Bora told journalists on Tuesday.

Bora claimed the virus causing the disease which killed 2226 pigs in the state so far travelled "down the river", but did not elaborate further.


Assam has sent samples of the affected pigs to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, for detection of swine flu and a result is awaited.

“We are expecting report from Bhopal based laboratory. We have seen that despite giving swine flu injections there are deaths.," Bora further said.

Sale of pork is banned in six districts, mostly in the Upper Assam area, following a spike in deaths of pigs there as well as in some areas of Arunachal Pradesh.

Neighbouring Meghalaya meanwhile said it was stopping all transport of pigs into the state because of the "unusual mortality of pigs' in the Dhemaji, North Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar and Jorhat districts of Assam and in some districts of Arunachal Pradesh.