Swine flu kills pigs in Manipur border town

Imphal: An outbreak of swine flu in Moreh, a town along the Manipur-Myanmar border, has killed several pigs.

The district administration has banned import of pork and piglets from across the border till the situation was fully under control.

Locals told IANS on Wednesday that the outbreak was reported a few days ago. 

One local woman, L. Haokip, who lost all her five pigs, said: "First the pigs lost appetite and then developed lethargy. They showed drowsiness and eventually died." 

Locals said they took the pigs to the veterinary hospital in the border town for treatment. However, the veterinarians there told them that there was no medicine or vaccine to contain the outbreak. 

"The only fridge meant for preserving the vaccines and other medicines went out of order over four years back. When we went seeking help, we saw that some rats were inside the fridge," an agitated local resident said.

Senior officials in Imphal told IANS that the situation was being closely monitored.

"If the situation is not contained in a day or two, additional veterinarians will be rushed and vaccines would be airlifted from Delhi," an official said.

Pork is widely consumed in Manipur and is regularly imported from across the border. 

Following the outbreak of the disease, the import has been banned until further notice. 

Officials said that if the situation aggravates, culling may be ordered.