ILOILO City – From Iloilo and Guimaras, the African Swine Fever (ASF) has spread to nearby Capiz province.
Four hogs from Barangay Canapian in Maayon, Capiz turned out positive for ASF in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test conducted by the Department of Agriculture Region 6’s (DA-6) Regional Animal Diseases and Diagnostic Laboratory.
ASF is a highly contagious viral disease of pigs. In its acute form the disease generally results in high mortality, thus making it a serious threat to the hog industry.
Regional Director Jose Albert Barrogo, through a letter dated Feb. 23, 2023, informed Capiz governor Fredenil Castro, Provincial Veterinary Officer Dr. Leonel P. Abordo and Maayon mayor Raymund Malapajo about the test result.
DA-6 highly encouraged all hog raisers, traders, viajeros, and barangay officials in Western Visayas to strengthen biosecurity measures and follow existing ordinances on the movement of hogs and disease control measures.
For the Capiz provincial government, it recommended the following actions:
* implement immediate quarantine and disease control measures in the affected premise(s);
* cull and dispose all remaining hogs properly in the affected areas;
* conduct disease investigation, especially contact tracing;
* conduct field surveillance and sample collection in all farms and households with susceptible animals within the one-kilometer quarantine zone from the infected area;
* coordinate with concerned local government unit and other agencies/offices for the implementation of other necessary disease control measures in the area of concern as stipulated in Bureau of Animal Industry (BM) guidelines.
The provincial government of Capiz, since last year, has been strengthening its guard against the possible entry of the hog disease as more towns in neighboring Iloilo province were affected by ASF.
Late last year, upon the directives of Castro, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) headed by Vice Gov. James “Mitang” Magbanua and the department heads held a consultative meeting and focus group discussion for ASF prevention and control.
Magbanua said that time the province must prepare for the worst if ASF infiltrates the province’s hog industry.
Among the planned measures discussed were the establishment of a buffer zone or containment zone if there is already a positive case in a barangay or town, purchase or rental of a cold storage facility for hog meat, and a possible fund allotment for the purchase of uninfected hogs from hog farms in declared ASF areas.
Meanwhile, in Iloilo – the first province in Western Visayas to record ASF cases – 23 towns were already affected by ASF as of yesterday. The latest town to record cases of hog disease was Concepcion.
A total of 96,805 hog heads were lost to ASF, data from the Iloilo Provincial Veterinary Office showed./PN
