African swine fever hits 8 regions – official
MANILA, Philippines — The African swine fever (ASF) has already affected 234,000 hogs in eight regions nationwide, an official said during a Senate hearing on Monday.
The hogs were either infected with ASF or exposed to the virus, Dr. Ronnie Domingo, director of the Bureau of Animal Industry, said during the hearing of the Senate committee on agriculture and food.
Domingo did not identify the eight regions during the hearing but promised to furnish the panel the list of the affected regions.
In the eight regions, he said, 142 municipalities in 19 provinces were affected by the ASF outbreak.
“Ito pong sakit na ito infectious po s’ya at normal po sa isang sakit na infectious. Para po syang wave,” Domingo explained.
(This disease is infectious and it’s normal for a disease to be infectious. It’s like a wave.)
He said the first wave was to end in December until the second wave hit in January to February this year.
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“At ito po ay dala po noong nagkaroon po tayo ng holidays. Nag-uwian ang ating mga kababayan po natin sa iba’t-ibang probinsya baka po may mga pasalubong po sila na karne, processed meat na contaminado po ng virus at ito po ang nag-cause po ng panibagong (wave),” the official further said.
(And it was because of the holidays. Many of our countrymen went to their provinces and they probably brought meat, processed meat that was contaminated with virus and this caused the new [wave]).
Domingo said the spread of the virus should have been stopped during the first wave but noted that some hog raisers refused to believe their pigs could have been infected when they see them healthy.
