Disease affecting pigs spirals out of control

Colombo, October 16 (Daily Mirror) - The highly contagious viral disease known as 'Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome' (PRRS), which is spreading among pigs, hogs, and boars in Sri Lanka, has spiraled out of control, according to informed sources, over 2000 pigs have so far succumbed to the virus.

Commenting on the situation, Director of Health at the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Dr. Tharaka Prasad, told Daily Mirror the disease is spreading like an outbreak across multiple areas.

“The disease, which initially affected wild boars, has now spread to pigs on farms. As such, the steps are being taken to contain the disease,” he said.

When asked whether humans are affected by consuming the flesh of infected animals, Dr. Prasad stated that there is no evidence of the disease affecting humans.

However, he admitted that the issue does have an enormous impact on farms leading to lower production.

Meanwhile, the farmers in the Anuradhapura district claim that the pigs that contracted the virus died in about two days and that it was spreading rapidly.

They reported that around 20 piggeries in the division were affected by the virus, with one piggery losing over 200 pigs from a total of 800, while at least 60 pigs had died in others.

Meanwhile, Dr. Prasad Madatuwa, Veterinary Surgeon of Central Nuwaragampalatha, stated that the drugs needed to treat virus-related diseases were unavailable at veterinary offices. However, he had inspected the local piggeries and arranged to immunize pigs in those that were not yet affected by the virus.