African swine fever infects Northern Samar town

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TACLOBAN CITY––The town of Catubig in Northern Samar has reported its first-ever case of African Swine Fever (ASF).

Anita Estudillo, municipal agriculturist, said the infection was detected Jan. 18 in Barangay Guibwangan, about 1.5 kilometers away from the town proper.

She said as part of the protocol, the infected pigs were culled.

“We have yet to determine why the ASF entered Guibwangan. But one of the possibilities is that hog sellers from other areas that were ASF-infected could have entered Guibawangan,” Estudillo said in a phone interview.

The local government, she said, immediately imposed measures so the infection would not spread to the 46 other barangays.

Estudillo said 45 pigs were raised in Guibwangan. The owners slaughtered most of these and sold them in the community.

A checkpoint has been set up in the village to ensure no pig enters or leaves the area.

Estudillo said the municipal government had also temporarily banned the selling of processed meats to make sure that the ASF is contained.

Catubig is the eighth municipality in Northern Samar to have ASF-confirmed cases.

The first ASF case in the province was reported March 15, 2021, in Lope de Vega.

The other towns that have ASF cases were Mondragon, Pambujan, Las Navas, Bobon, Silvino Lubos, and Catarman, the provincial capital.

As of Jan. 27, the ASF affected 374 backyard owners with 801 hogs involved, said the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO).

“We are not yet out of the woods. ASF continues to be a threat to our municipalities. But there are things we can do to stop the entry or eradicate the disease in our areas,” said provincial veterinarian Dr. Jose Luis Acompanado in a statement.

Among the measures instituted by the PVO were the training of barangay biosecurity officers for quick surveillance and monitoring and border controls and checkpoints.

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