Hogs dying in Davao Sur; quarantine up
By Orlando Dinoy
Mindanao Bureau
First Posted 13:56:00 01/06/2009
Filed Under: Plant and Animal Diseases, Health, Livestock Farming, Agriculture
STA. MARIA, Davao del Sur--Veterinary officials in Southern Mindanao have quarantined animals here following the deaths of nearly four dozen pigs since December.
Renato Enanoria, regional quarantine officer, said on Tuesday the decision was arrived at as the cause of the deaths here had yet to be established.
In Barangay (Village) Pong-pong here, where most of the animals mysteriously died, residents fear the loss of their livelihood.
Ranilo Tiwi, a hog raiser here, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, that he already lost nine hogs since the mysterious disease started to affect animals in December.
Mercy Olalo, another hog raiser, said their animals would suddenly become weak and eventually die.
"The pigs developed red skin and they salivate excessively," she said.
Tiwi said alarmed residents immediately disposed of their animals but buyers returned the hogs.
"They died as soon as they were returned," he said.
Tiwi said some of their neighbors slaughtered their weak animals and either sold or consumed the meat.
"In fact, they have slaughtered it for fear that it will die," he said.
Justin Masaganda, municipal agriculturist, said they responded as soon as they got information that hogs were dying in the town.
Masaganda said they also advised residents against slaughtering the animals pending the outcome of the test conducted by veterinary officials.
Asked whether the hogs died of cholera, which also affected some areas of Mindanao in the past, Masaganda said they had yet to determine that.
Antonio Lavega, municipal livestock coordinator, said they already told residents to bury the dead animals after testing to prevent the spread of the disease.
He said they had not concluded that the disease killing the animals was communicable but it would be better to be careful.
Dr. Nestor Barroga, Davao del Sur veterinarian, said they were not imposing a ban on hogs and pork products from this town because the possibility the disease could be passed on humans have not been established yet.
"We are still testing," he said adding that his initial impression was that the hogs suffered some kind of pneumonia.
Barroga said he suspected that erratic weather patterns caused the disease.
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