At least 150 hogs culled as ASF hits Southern Leyte town

(FILE) Pigs locked in a cage in a slaughterhouse.

TACLOBAN CITY — The coastal town of Malitbog in Southern Leyte province was affected by the African swine fever (ASF) for the first time, leading to the culling of at least 150 hogs, officials said.

The ASF in the municipality was first detected in the village of San Vicente where 14 hogs were infected on Jan. 15, said Vanessa Timkang of the municipal agriculture office.

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“We have yet to determine the cause of the ASF in Barangay San Vicente and its neighboring villages,” she said by phone on Thursday.

About 80 pigs in San Vicente were culled, leaving only 49 healthy pigs in the village located three kilometers from the town proper. “They were buried in a 15-meter deep pit away from residential areas,” Timkang said.

Aside from San Vicente, ASF cases were also detected in the villages of Pasil, with 15 affected pigs; and Cadaruhan, with 55. All these pigs were also culled and buried.

As of Thursday, 150 pigs were depopulated as part of the effort to contain the spread of ASF in the town composed of 37 barangays.

“This is the first time that Malitbog was hit with ASF. The local government immediately conducted orientation and information dissemination regarding ASF and how this can be addressed,” she said.

The spread of ASF in the three villages has affected more than 100 small hog raisers, Timkang said. —JOEY GABIETA INQ