ANTIQUE – The Provincial Veterinary (ProVet) Office is hoping the province achieves an African Swine Sever (ASF)-free status before 2024 ends.
Dr. Marco Rafael Ardamil, ProVet Public Health Division chief, said in an interview Tuesday that three of the four towns affected by the ASF progressed to pink or buffer zone from their previous red or infected zone status.
The latest to progress was the town of Hamtic after this capital town in July and Sibalom town in August.
“Only last Oct. 31, the Municipality of Hamtic had been reclassified into the pink zone,” Ardamil said, adding that the town recorded its last ASF case on Oct. 19, 2023.
He added that they will collect blood samples from 10 swine farms in the Municipality of Belison, which also applied for reclassification.
“The negative results of the collected blood samples from the swine in the hog farms are necessary so Belison could be reclassified,” Ardamil said.
Meanwhile, Ardamil said that this town is preparing for sentinelling.
Sentinelling is a process to find out if a hog farm is indeed ASF-free after the application of biosecurity measures such as disinfectants and the conduct of environmental swab tests.
“There will be 129 farms that will be provided with an initial one piglet each for sentinelling after the environmental swab test next week,” he said.
He said that each hog farm will receive a total of three piglets if the sentinelling becomes successful. (PNA)
