Over 200 pigs have died of African Swine Fever in the Sivasagar district of Assam as the disease has gripped the region, district animal husbandry official said on Sunday.

The Dehing Kalghar village and Jalukonibari village in the district have been worst affected, the official informed.

The official informed that over 200 pigs died of the disease in the two regions alone.

Meanwhile, the animal husbandry department of the district administration has recommended the culling of infected pigs in a bid to stop further spread.

It may be noted that the virus causes a hemorrhagic fever with high mortality rates in domestic pigs.

Some isolates of the virus can cause death of animals within a week after infection. It persistently infects its natural hosts like warthogs and bushpigs.

However, the disease is different from Swine Flu and it does not cause any problems in humans.