THE Department of Agriculture (DA) in the Bicol Region seeks stronger support from the local government units (LGUs) amid an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) with incidence of the viral disease reported from at least 12 municipalities in three provinces.
DA Region 5 head Lovella Guarin said seven towns in Camarines Sur—Baao, Pili, Nabua, Ocampo, Bula, Libmanan, Presentacion –have reported active ASF cases from July to August 2024.
Three towns—Caramoran, Virac, and Pandan—in the island province of Catanduanes have also logged ASF cases.
In Masbate, the affected towns were Claveria and San Pascual.
The DA, in collaboration with the concerned LGUs, has implemented immediate depopulation of hogs within 500-meter radius from the affected pig pens.
Guarin reported that a total of 209 heads of swine have been “depopulated” from July to August 2024.
Meanwhile, 11 Bicol municipalities, namely, Camaligan, Camarines Sur; Labo, Daet, Mercedes, San Vicente, and Talisay in Camarines Norte; San Jacinto, Milagros, Mobo ,and San Fernando in Masbate; and Donsol in Sorsogon were declared under red alert although it has been more than 90 days after the last positive ASF case.
The affected LGUs were required to submit documents before they could be upgraded to pink zone.
Guarin also said consumers have an important role to play in the prevention and control of ASF as some recurrence were traced to contaminated processed meat seized by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS).
She warned that buying processed meat from ambulant vendors of unknown product sources could be risky.
Guarin stressed that safe meats are those butchered and sold by accredited slaughterhouses.
The DA said the hog raisers were to be the first line of defense in the battle against ASF.
The agency urged them to improve production and management practices by regularly cleaning and disinfecting pig pens.
Home-made disinfectants such as pure vinegar, soda ash (1 kilo soda ash mixed with 25 liters of water), and bleach (1 spoon bleach dissolved in 1 liter of water) were also proven effective, the DA said.
Limiting visitors to the hog production area might also be helpful.
Avoiding feeding the hogs with kitchen wastes may also prevent ASF as these kitchen wastes might be contaminated with ASF, the DA said.
Citing recent reports, Guarin said the ASF-infected hogs did not show the usual symptoms such as red, discolored skin or skin lesions, diarrhea, vomiting, high fever, difficulty breathing, heavy discharge from the eyes and nose.
