The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) of Negros Oriental has reported new African swine fever (ASF) cases in three local government units, prompting the culling of infected and exposed hogs as authorities intensify surveillance and monitoring efforts.
Provincial veterinarian, Dr. Melody Vilan, said Aug. 3 that new confirmed ASF cases were recorded in Siaton, Amlan, and Tanjay City, all of which had previously reported infections.
“We have culled the infected pigs and those exposed to them while continuing the collection of blood samples,” Vilan told the Philippine News Agency.
Laboratory results showed that six of the eight blood samples collected from Siaton tested positive for ASF. The infected hogs were from barangays Maloh and Tayak.
In Amlan, 20 of the 50 blood samples tested positive, while the remaining 30 yielded negative results. The affected areas were barangays Bio-os, Silab, Jantianon and Jugno.
Tanjay City recorded the highest number of confirmed cases, with 24 of 27 blood samples testing positive. Affected areas include barangays San Miguel, Sta. Cruz Nuevo, San Isidro, Azagra, Barangay 3, Novallas, Barangays 4, 6 and 8, and Sta. Cruz Viejo.
Vilan said 52 hogs were culled in Amlan, including 25 previously depopulated animals, while another 40 hogs were culled in Tanjay City as part of containment measures.
In Siaton, the infected pigs had already died before laboratory tests confirmed the presence of ASF, she added.
Disinfection activities have been conducted in all affected areas, while additional blood samples are being collected in Siaton as part of heightened surveillance.
Meanwhile, Vilan said blood samples submitted by Sta. Catalina recently tested negative for ASF. Other LGUs that also recorded negative laboratory results were La Libertad with 66 samples, Canlaon City with 60, Mabinay with 30, and Dauin with 14.
She urged backyard and commercial hog raisers to immediately report unexplained pig deaths to local authorities to allow veterinary personnel to conduct validation and collect samples for laboratory testing, helping prevent further spread of ASF. ||
