Malappuram(Kerala) | Several panchayats in this north Kerala district were declared as surveillance zones after African swine fever, a highly contagious and deadly disease in pigs, was detected in the rotten carcass of a wild boar, the district administration said on Friday.

The carcass was found at a place called Marutha and the disease will not spread to humans, it added.

District Collector V R Vinod declared Vazhikkadavu, Edakkara, Pothukallu, Chungathara, Karulai, and Muthedam gram panchayats, which fall within a 10 km radius of the epicentre, as surveillance zones.

Since there are no pig farms within one km radius of the epicentre, there is no need to euthanise any pigs, the district administration said in a release.

However, restrictions have been imposed on the sale and distribution of pork, the operation of shops involved in it, and the transport of the animals to and from the surveillance zones, it said.

Sale and distribution of pigs, pork and related products have been banned in the surveillance zones, it said, adding that their transport to and from these areas was also prohibited.

In case of detection of symptoms similar to those of African swine fever virus infection in pigs in other parts of the district, farmers should inform the concerned veterinary officer, the district administration said.

It said that the disease was found only in pigs and cannot be transmitted to other animals or humans.

At the same time, due to lack of a vaccine or other preventive medicine, there is a possibility of mass deaths of pigs.

Therefore, precautionary measures are being taken to prevent the spread of the disease to other areas of the district, it said.