Border To Be Sealed with Mizoram-Myanmar To Prevent Pig disease

Aizawl, Jun 28 : The Centre is of the view that the north eastern states, especially Mizoram, should seal their border with Myanmar to ensure that the dreaded swine fever, Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), infected pigs were not imported to India.

Dr L.B. Sailo, director of the Mizoram Animal Husbandry and Veterinary department, who attended a meeting of the expert committee on tackling PRRS in New Delhi told PTI today that the Centre was alarmed over the detection of PRRS cases in the north eastern state.

Sailo said that while Mizoram also banned import of pigs from Myanmar, the Centre felt that deployment of para-military forces was warranted to ensure complete sealing of Mizoram's 404-km-long international border with that country.

"Myanmar was the only country having PRRS till some swine in India's north east were found to be infected with the dreaded disease," he said.

At least 3,800 pigs died during March and April this year in Mizoram and many of them were found to be infected with PRRS by ICAR's laboratory in Barapani, Shillong which was confirmed on June 21 by High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal.