The syndrome, also called blue-ear pig disease, had afflicted the pig population in six of the eight districts of Mizoram, except Kolosib and Mamit, according to T. Sangkunga, secretary of the animal husbandry and veterinary department.
The state director of veterinary L.B. Sailo told this correspondent yesterday over telephone from Aizawl that the ban on the import of pigs from the neighbouring country of Myanmar, which was effected immediately after the outbreak of the contagious disease in early March, would continue. He said the PRRS virus did not infect any human being. Sailo, a veterinary physician, said there are at present two lakh pigs in Mizoram.
Veterinary department sources, however, said the ban on eating of pork, a popular dish among Mizos, has already been lifted as there are no traces anymore of the contagion among pigs.
The emergence of the PRRS virus in some pigs in Mizoram was confirmed last May after tests were conducted on some afflicted pigs in two research centres, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s unit in Barapani near Shillong and in College of Veterinary Science at Selesih near Aizawl.