LUCENA CITY –– At least 43 pigs have died possibly from African Swine Fever (ASF) in General Luna town in Quezon province.
Mayor Matt Erwin Florido reported on his Facebook Thursday that 22 more hogs were killed in a pre-emptive culling to prevent the spread of the viral animal infection in the area.
On Tuesday, Florido ordered the “lockdown” on all pigs to prevent the movement of hogs in and out of the municipality after authorities recorded a confirmed ASF case in Barangay San Jose.
A team of veterinarians from the provincial government and the Department of Agriculture in Calabarzon have started pre-emptive culling and stamping out the process on all pigs within the 500-meter radius from the origin of the confirmed ASF.
Dr. Flomella Caguicla, Quezon provincial veterinarian, disclosed that there were also ASF cases in Macalelon town.
“It’s alarming. We’re now busy taking samples and pre-emptive culling,” Caguicla said in an online interview Wednesday.
Macalelon is adjacent to General Luna, both located in the Bondoc Peninsula district.
Caguicla disclosed that local authorities detected the ASF virus in their area after the lifting of the enhanced community quarantine that aims to prevent the spread of the dreaded coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
“Mostly affected are native pigs,” she said.
Caguicla attributed the reemergence of ASF to swill feeding or feeding pigs with left-over foods. She also pointed to local hog buyers who sell pigs to ambulant traders as possible spreaders of the ASF.
While pork with ASF poses no health threat to consumers, left-over foods or swill containing the virus, when fed to hogs, may infect the entire pig population in a particular area.
The provincial veterinarian office is preparing to distribute public advisory in its campaign to prevent the spread of ASF.
“The situation is similar to COVID-19. The prevention efforts will be difficult if there are hard-headed [people],” she explained.
She called on the cooperation of all stakeholders in their renewed battle to stop ASF in the province.