Amid Covid-19 fear, mysterious swine disease kills dozens of pigs in northern Chin State

A mysterious swine disease has killed more than 50 pigs in less than two months in Thantlang of northern Chin State, a local news outlet The Chinland Post, has reported.

The killer disease has spread in Thantlang town since the latter part of February and the local government Vetinary Department has yet to definitively identify the source of the mysterious outbreak.

“This could be caused by seasonal outbreak of a common Hog Collera but we are yet to be sure if this is the case. I have injected vaccines to more than 1000 pigs raised by households and there has not been any reported deaths of the vaccinated pigs so far,” Dr. Lian Bawi, the official in charge of the local government Vetinary Department, was quoted as saying by The Chinland Post.

A warning has been issued to pig owners not to carelessly dispose of their dead pigs or transport them to outside of town to be buried as trails of blood or bodily fluids left behind on the streets can contanimate other domestic animals, which can then be transfered on to humans. Owners are advised to immediately bury their dead pigs on the spot.

The local meat market has seen a sharp drop in people buying pork as a result.

In Chin State, raising pigs is mostly done by indivdual households in their backyards or in the vicinity of their house on a small scale. Calls have made from different corners on the Chin State government to intervene in order to determine the cause of the mysterious killer disease.