The Hindu 16.02.2013
4,000 pigs to move out of city
Relief soon:Pigs loitering near a sewage pool off a residential area in Anna Nagar in teh city.— Photo: S. Jame.
The Madurai Corporation’s decision to ban the rearing of pigs within city limits has been welcomed by public health officials.
They
said that the civic body’s move to relocate pigs to the city outskirts
would help prevent the spread of diseases such as Japanese Encephalitis
(brain fever).
The ban comes into force on February 16 and at least 4,000 stray pigs will be impounded in various residential areas of Madurai.
B.K.Tyagi,
Director, Centre for Research in Medical Entomology (CRME), Madurai,
told The Hindu on Friday that the pig was an ‘amplifier animal,’
susceptible to Japanese Encephalitis infection, and it multiplied the
spread of disease. “The virus which causes the disease uses the swine as
a biological medium and then it spreads to the human population. There
are many factors causing or spreading the disease and the pig is one of
them.The virus thrives in horses as well,” he explained.
Dr.Tyagi
suggested that the Madurai Corporation should look into the disease
pattern of Japanese Encephalitis in the city as there are several
factors involved in disease transmission dynamics.
The
drive to keep pigs off the city has been welcomed by veterinary doctors
in the Animal Husbandry Department as well. S. Sankar, Veterinary
Assistant Surgeon, Government Veterinary Dispensary at A. Vellalapatti
near Alagarkoil, said that pig was the main reservoir of ‘brain fever’
virus and it had to be banned in thickly-populated areas.
“These
days we are all worried about H1N1 influenza. The Pig is an agent that
spreads the virus from animal to humans. If pigs are located away from
the city, it reduces the risk and prevents mortality since Japanese
Encephalitis can be deadly if not detected early,” Dr. Sankar said.
Priya
Raj, City Health Officer, Madurai Corporation, said that the ban on
pig-rearing would address the problem of unhygienic conditions in the
city. “Children will harbour diseases if we don’t act now. Parasitic
infections must be avoided as far as possible,” she said. Pig-rearers
will be watched from Saturday and inspections will be carried out in all
100 wards of the Corporation,” she said.
Deputy
Director of Health Services S.Senthilkumar said that it was always
better to have animal rearing away from dense human settlements,
especially with regard to pigs, so as to avoid acute encephalitis
syndrome. “This is a very good move by the Corporation and the efforts
should be sustained. Eradication of piggery is not the objective but
prevention of diseases is,” he said.