BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Hogs from neighboring Negros Oriental are now banned after the town of Dauin reported its first confirmed cases of African Swine Fever (ASF), according to Negros Occidental’s Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO).
Dr. Placeda Lemana, PVO officer-in-charge (OIC), said Negros Occidental is on heightened alert. Travelers are being thoroughly inspected to prevent the entry of pork products from outside the province.
Based on protocols against ASF, hogs within 500-meter radius of an area with a confirmed ASF case must be culled to control the spread of the disease.
Lemana said Negros Occidental remains ASF-free.
She added, however, that the number of hog deaths rose to at 4,308 due to hog cholera as of May 19.
Hog deaths also included those culled for consumption, or for emergency sale, as well as other hog-related diseases such as pneumonia and heat stroke, the PVO OIC said.
San Enrique town still has the highest mortality at 1,800 followed by Bago City with 838, data from the PVO showed.
Meanwhile, following Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson’s issuance of an executive order (EO) to prevent the spread hog cholera, several villages in the province have set up their respective border control points to control the movement of hogs.
In Barangay Blumentritt, Murcia, village officials blocked several hog shipments that were supposed to head to Bacolod City.
On May 17 alone, the first day of the implementation of the EO, Barangay Blumentritt reportedly blocked 17 vehicles carrying hogs as well as poultry due to lack of pertinent papers./PN
