UNDER THREAT File photo shows hogs threatened by African swine fever. —INQUIRER PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Around 2,000 donated African Swine Fever (ASF) vaccines are set to arrive in the country on Friday and will be rolled out on August 20, according to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel.
Laurel said the vaccine rollout aims to contain ASF cases in affected towns of Batangas, which was placed under a state of calamity due to the spread of the virus. This includes the province’s eight municipalities — Lobo, Lian, Calatagan, Rosario, Lipa, Talisay, San Juan, and Tuy.
READ: DA to implement ‘farm-based lockdown’ to contain ASF — Laurel
“Luckily iyong ating supplier nag-donate ng 2,000 doses at darating dito sa Biyernes at hopefully ang target namin is maumpisahan na iyong pagbakuna by Tuesday next week,” the Department of Agriculture (DA) chief disclosed during the Malacañang Insider.
(Luckily, our supplier donated 2,000 doses that will arrive this Friday. Hopefully, we can start the inoculation by Tuesday next week.
On August 12, Laurel revealed that an initial 10,000 doses of ASF vaccine will arrive by August 23. The government will distribute them to affected areas for free.
In the same briefing, the DA official said that the procurement of the vaccines could continue until next month.
He added that checkpoints or inspection stations will be installed in affected municipalities by Friday.
READ: 7 towns in Quezon log ASF cases
Aside from areas in Batangas, 41 municipalities or seven towns in Quezon province have recorded cases of ASF in local hogs.
Based on data by the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian classified the towns of San Andres, Macalelon, Lopez, Mauban, Candelaria, and Tiaong as “red or infected zone.”
Previous reports also revealed that 8,818 animal deaths were recorded in Lobo alone, resulting in a loss worth P103,338,000 as of July 31.