Morung Express News
DIMAPUR OCT 24: The state Government is unlikely to lift the ban on import and supply as well as slaughter of pork for consumption considering there was “no let-up in Japanese encephalitis”. The information comes in the wake of a meeting held today at the Dimapur DC Office between the administration, veterinary department,DMC as well as members from the butchers union where a representation was endorsed to be submitted to the Chief Secretary for lifting the ban on sale/import of pork.
However sources from the Veterinary & Animal husbandry department disclosed that there are no cases of swine diseases that would be fatal so far. According to a government veterinary doctor till now no confirmed cases of potentially fatal swine diseases or human casualties have been detected “The state is misleading the people on the issue of swine disease” the source on condition of anonymity said. “The ban was ordered based only on the assumption that there might be cases, particularly Japanese encephalitis, because states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh are going through an out break”. “Besides, the government hasn’t carried out any survey to confirm whether there are diseases except for some few general/common cases” the doctor added.
Another high-ranking official from the State veterinary services said that technically there was no reason why the government should ban the trading or slaughter of pork, imported or local, for consumption. “The government should clear the misconception that humans can be infected with Japanese encephalitis simply by consuming pork. People don’t become infected with Japanese encephalitis by consuming pork but by being bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus after biting an infected pig” the vet doctor said. “And how do we know that only imported pigs are infected with the disease while local ones are harmless?” he said adding that it was more reasonable to ban mosquitoes and dirty surroundings along with pigs.
“Japanese encephalitis is caused by mosquitoes and not pigs! Pigs are only secondary carriers!” another doctor, told The Morung Express. “The government is misleading the public” he said all the while asking whether the government thought it ‘intelligent’ to believe that local pigs were safer to be consumed then those ones imported from Bihar and UP. “Don’t tell me Japanese encephalitis can recognize only Bihar pigs” he added.
Dr Simon Ao, MVSc (LPT) said “The disease is spread only through a particular kind of mosquito (Culex tritaeniorhynchus). It can infect a human only if it transmits the virus from an infected pig” he said adding that consuming pork does not cause any fatalities.
Japanese encephalitis and its causes
Japanese encephalitis is a potentially severe viral disease spread by infected mosquitoes in the agricultural regions of Asia. It is one of several mosquito-borne virus diseases that can affect the central nervous system and cause severe complications and death. Japanese encephalitis can be a risk to rural areas. There is no specific treatment for it. It is caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus, an arbovirus. Arbovirus is short for arthropod-borne virus. Arboviruses are a large group of viruses that are spread by certain invertebrate animals (arthropods), most commonly blood-sucking insects. Like most arboviruses, Japanese encephalitis is spread by infected mosquitoes. It is found throughout rural areas in Asia.
Causes:
• Culex mosquitoes, especially C tritaeniorhynchus, transmit Japanese encephalitis. They prefer to bite outdoors and are extremely active in the evening and night, the time for the greatest risk for infection.
• Mosquitoes breed in collections of water (eg, rice paddies), making the risk of infection higher in rural areas.
• Humans and other mammals (eg, horses) are dead-end hosts (low-grade, short-term viremia).
• Pigs and aquatic birds (eg, egrets, herons) serve as amplifying hosts because they have persistent high-grade viremia.
