Thrissur (Kerala) | Authorities on Friday confirmed an outbreak of African swine fever in a village in this central Kerala district.

According to officials, the infection was detected in pigs in the sixth ward of Mulankunnathukavu panchayat, after tests carried out at a government lab in Bhopal.

A rapid response team has been deployed to contain the spread, they said.

The team under the leadership of the Animal Husbandry Department has begun operations to prevent the spread of the disease, an official release said here.

Officials have declared a one-kilometre zone around the affected farm as infected, and a 10-kilometre belt around it as a surveillance zone.

District Collector Arjun Pandyan has ordered a ban on the sale and transport of pork from the infected areas, and told shops handling pork to suspend operations.

The measures follow the central government's action plan for controlling the disease.

Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Isaac Sam clarified that the disease affects only pigs and does not spread to other animals or humans.