Vety, & Animal Husbandry intensifies PRRS disease surveillance

Imphal, May 13: Following the outbreak of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), Directorate of Vety. & Animal Husbandry Services, Government of Manipur has intensified surveillance of the disease.
N Rajendro Singh, Director of Vety., & Animal Husbandry Services in a release has also instructed Joint Directors Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Senapati, Chandel, Churachandpur and Tamenglong, and Deputy Directors, Vety. Hospital, Moreh, Kangpokpi and Jiribam to take up active surveillance of the disease in the respective districts/sub-divisions and collect blood sample collection with immediate effect.
The sero-surveillance of the disease has to be resumed to achieve the target of covering 2% of the total pig population of the state during the current year, said the Director.
The disease is caused by a virus of Arterivirus family, an RNA virus and is characterized by two overlapping clinical presentations, reproductive impairment or failure in breeding pigs and respiratory diseases in pigs of any age and there may be abortion, stillborn, foetal mummification, lower farrowing rate, farrowing with weak piglets and deaths. It can also lead to serve respiratory disease and can result in high morality rates in suckling and weaned piglets and in some herd, the infection is asympotomatic causing serious problem of infertility in pigs. PRRS is the most economically significant disease in pigs.
For the sero-surveillance of the disease in the state 50 porcine blood samples (2-3ml per pig) from each district and 20 blood samples each from three sub-divisions should be collected every month and to be submitted to the Disease Investigation Laboratory of this Vety. & Animal Husbandry Directorate.