Mizoram prohibits pigs from Burma

New Delhi, May 12  – To prevent a possible outbreak of swine flu, Mizoram state in northeast India has prohibited import of pigs from neighbouring Burma.

Two weeks ago, Dr. Saingura Sailo, Joint Director of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department (AHVD) of Mizoram, had suggested to the state government to take precautionary measures in order to prevent the possible spread of swine flu and ban imports of pigs from Burma.

“Though there is no case of swine flu having been detected here, we suggested to the state government to take action in order to prevent the virus [H1N1] over two weeks ago,” Dr. Saingura told Mizzima.

“The state should issue an order banning pigs coming from Burma,” he said.

While the Mizoram government has not yet issued an official statement of any kind of action to prevent swine flu, residents in Aizawl, capital of Mizoram said that the import of pigs from Burma through the border had been prohibited by local authorities over the last two weeks.

“The authorities have already stopped pigs from Burma being brought in over the last two weeks,” a resident in Aizawl said.

The resident said the sale and consumption of pork in Aizawl have drastically dropped following news of swine flu, which was first detected in Mexico last month.

Meanwhile, in Hakha town, capital of Chin state in western Burma, bordering Mizoram of India, an unknown disease killed four pigs in a home farm.

“So far, four pigs have died and we found several sick pigs,” Ral Hei, Chairman of the Poultry and Livestock Breeding Organization in Hakha, told Mizzima.

However, Ral Hei said, the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department in Hakha had confirmed that the disease was not influenza but normal animal illness, caused by change of weather.

“They [AHVD] said that the case is not that of swine flu. It was caused by climate change,” Ral Hei said and added “These days the weather here is hot with no rainfall yet.”

Ral Hei said, “Once the pigs fell ill, they did not want to eat anything and died if when we could not give injections in time.”

Reportedly, the AHVD in Hakha had imparted awareness training and consultation to local pig raisers in Chin state on swine flu.

In military ruled Burma, the Ministry of Health last month said it had taken precautionary steps by issuing alerts to hospitals and pig farms on a potential outbreak of swine flu.

“So far there is no sign of swine flu in Myanmar [Burma]. But we are taking precautions and are conducting medical check-ups at the international airports,” an official at the Ministry of Health in Naypyitaw, who declined to be named, told Mizzima.

According to the World Health Organization on Monday, 30 countries across the world have officially reported 4694 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection.