Kottayam (Kerala): An outbreak of African Swine Fever, a highly contagious and devastating disease affecting pigs, has been reported in farms in two villages in this district, officials said on Friday.

The outbreak was detected at two pig farms located in the Koottickal and Vazhoor grama panchayats in Kottayam, they added.

Kottayam District Collector John V Samuel has ordered the culling of pigs in the affected farms, officials said.

“All pigs in the affected farms and within a one km radius will be culled and disposed of according to Central Government guidelines. The District Animal Husbandry Officer has been assigned to oversee this process,” Samuel said in a statement.

The area within a km’s radius of the affected farms has been declared an infected zone, while a 10-kilometre radius has been designated as a surveillance zone, he said.

“The distribution and sale of pork, as well as the transportation of pork and feed, from the infected areas have been prohibited. Similarly, the transportation of pigs, pork, or feed from these areas to other regions and vice versa is also banned,” the Collector said.

The 10-kilometre radius from the infected area is under surveillance, he added.

Officials clarified that African Swine Fever is different from H1N1 swine flu. The disease only affects pigs and does not spread to humans or other animals, they said.

Since there are no vaccines or preventive medicines for African Swine Fever, the virus leads to significant deaths among pigs, creating a critical situation, officials warned.