ILOILO – The estimated losses of hog farms in Oton town due to African Swine Fever (ASF) have so far reached P4 million, according to provincial government veterinarian Dr. Darel Tabuada.
As of Oct. 15, a total of 374 hog heads from the index hog farm and five other backyard farms have been culled.
The hogs in the index hog farm in Barangay Bita Norte, Oton also housed pig breeders which cost more than the ordinary hogs.
As of now, Tabuada said, the local ASF taskforce, in coordination with other concerned government offices, continues to conduct animal surveillance and investigation to determine if there are other suspected ASF case within the one kilometer radius from ground zero, nearby areas outside one kilometer radius and other areas in Oton.
Tabuada said there are reports that before the lockdown, there were movements of hogs from within one kilometer radius to other barangays in the town.
“Ginatan-aw naton ang mga possibility nakagwa before kita nagkordon,” said Tabuada in an interview over Radyo Pilipinas Iloilo. This, he added, is being traced up, investigated and validated.
“May mga report sa mga barangay sa palibot nga may kaso nga pareho sang ASF,” he added.
During the conduct of surveillance, Tabuada said they checked the status of the hogs and extracted blood samples for laboratory testing.
On Monday, Oct. 17, the provincial veterinarian said they were able to collect more than 80 samples within Oton mostly outside the one kilometer radius for testing.
Tabuada understands that the ASF cases has great impact or scare the hog farmers. As per observation in the field, he said, the enthusiasm of hog farmers to raise more has dampened while others panicked and are now thinking ways on how to convert their hogs to cash.
But Tabuada advised them to avoid panicking. He stressed that it is important to limit for the meantime the movement of hogs to avoid the spread of ASF.
“Indi kita magkabalaka, limit lang anay movement. Ang importante ma-contain ang one-kilometer radius, ang whole municipality and for the next three months nga wala na sang kaso, mabalik kita sa normal,” he added.
After three months of containment, Tabuada said they will put in a sentinel swine at the index farm then this will be observed.
“Kon mabuhi siya kag indi siya magmasakit buot silingon wala na ang virus dira. Kon magbalatian, meaning ara pa gihapon ang virus,” said Tabuada.
For now, he reiterated that all hog farmers, be it commercial or backyard, must practice bio-security measure.
“Dapat strikto kita subong sa bio-security kay wala kita kabalo kon sin-o ang carrier sang virus. Ensure nga maproteksyunan mo ang imo tangkal, wala sang tawo nga maagi dira nga wala nag-agi sa disinfection, wala ka paligo,” he added.
The provincial veterinarian noted that ASF virus can stick to shoes and clothes.
He also urged everyone to report immediately to their respective local agriculture office if there are suspected cases of ASF in their area so it can be tested.
Tabuada, meanwhile, emphasized that it is still safe to eat pork because ASF is not a zoonotic disease, it only affects swine.
However, he stressed that farmers should avoid giving leftovers or any food waste to their hogs because it might be contaminated with the virus.
On the other hand, border controls are now strictly implemented in all entrances and exit points of Oton as well as nearby towns of San Miguel, Pavia, Tigbauan, and Iloilo City to make sure that no live hogs, pork and pork by-products will be moved out of Oton./PN
