Laboratory testing has confirmed the presence of African Swine Fever among pig populations in certain areas of Sri Vijaya Puram and at the Arong locality within Car Nicobar. The finding led the Andaman and Nicobar Administration to enforce an immediate, territory-wide prohibition covering the transport of live pigs, animal feed intended for pigs, raw pork, and processed pork products between islands.
The confirmation was based on laboratory findings forwarded to authorities by ICAR–National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), based in Bhopal, with the institute's report carrying a date of 16 October 2026. Citing an outbreak, local authorities designated Sri Vijaya Puram and Arong in Car Nicobar as the zones most affected by the illness, and put in place a ban on moving pigs or pork products by any means — whether by sea, road, or air. No timeline has been set for lifting the order, which remains active.
African Swine Fever is a transmissible viral pathogen that spreads among both farmed pigs and wild boar populations. Herd mortality among pigs can rise as a consequence, leaving producers to absorb losses that may reach into the tens of thousands. No transmission of the illness to humans has been established, and it carries no pathway to direct harm for human health.
Transmission of the pathogen between separate pig holdings can occur through indirect routes — carried by workers, vehicles, tools, clothing, or contaminated pork products moving from one site to another. Neither a targeted cure nor a formally sanctioned vaccine against ASF has been developed to date.
Prompt reporting, keeping pig populations separated, and maintaining firm biosecurity protocols are among the containment steps that animal health officials have identified as central to halting any wider outbreak. Those raising pigs have been urged to stay alert to a range of physical signs that may indicate infection, among them abrupt animal deaths, elevated body temperature, reduced feed intake, lethargy, skin that turns red or purple, vomiting, loose stools, and pregnancy loss.
Pig owners and farm workers have been directed to bring any unexplained animal deaths, signs of illness, or potential exposure to infected swine to the attention of their local Veterinary Institution or the area's Senior Veterinary Officer without delay, so that a proper assessment can be carried out and appropriate steps taken. Pig owners have also been directed to house animals by health status — separating those that are unwell, under suspicion, potentially exposed, or showing no symptoms — and to prevent any mingling with swine from neighbouring properties or other farms.
Restrictions under the official order also cover the handling and movement of animals showing signs of illness or potential exposure. Those pigs are not to be sold, slaughtered, or relocated, while pork and any products derived from pigs are likewise barred from being traded or distributed outside the boundaries set by the order.
Guidance issued to producers calls for pig shed access to be kept to a minimum, with thorough and routine disinfection of footwear, tools, vehicles, and housing areas. Raw kitchen scraps, meat-containing food remnants, and waste collected from hospitality venues or vessels all carry disease transmission risks when fed to pigs without prior heat treatment.
Infected or suspected pigs, along with their carcasses and any frozen meat, pork, or pork-derived products, are to be destroyed and disposed of with veterinary authorities and local administration overseeing the process. Pig owners have been put on notice that any animals earmarked for culling are not to be slaughtered, relocated, or disposed of through their own actions.
Handling of any affected animals is to follow the disease-control guidelines set by the relevant veterinary authority, carried out under the oversight of the Senior Veterinary Officer and in close coordination with both the Sri Vijaya Puram Municipal Council team and the concerned administrative body. Regulatory guidance requires that animal remains be handled through approved deep-burial methods under official oversight.
Shared burial sites identified at Panchayat level or higher — positioned away from populated areas and transport corridors, and cleared through official channels after a location assessment — are called for under the advisory wherever conditions allow. Dumping animal remains into the sea, creeks, or any other water body is prohibited under the regulations.
Animals in four distinct health categories — those confirmed ill, those under suspicion of infection, those known to have been exposed, and those presenting no symptoms — are to be housed in separate areas to the extent that conditions allow, following advice from a veterinarian. Where compensation is permitted under relevant rules, the amount and method of payment will be determined by the applicable Government of India notification, with eligibility, rates, and procedures all subject to confirmation by the designated verification team. Those working in pig farming have been directed to take part in the verification exercise and fulfil the associated administrative steps.
Members of the public have been urged to keep live pigs and pork products within permitted transport boundaries, ensure that food scraps and meat waste remain inaccessible to pigs, and leave any pig found dead in place rather than handling, relocating, or disposing of it. Any pig deaths that appear out of the ordinary, along with animals showing signs that raise concern, are to be reported to either the nearest Veterinary Institution or the Senior Veterinary Officer covering that area.
Venues ranging from ships and markets to hotels and dining establishments have been directed to put proper food-waste disposal measures in place, keeping scraps out of reach of pigs. Veterinary authorities have called on everyone involved in pig ownership, farming, trading, and transport — along with the broader public — to observe the movement restrictions in place and act on all guidance issued toward containing and eliminating the disease across the Islands.
According to published health guidance, African Swine Fever carries no transmission risk to humans.
