• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson confirmed yesterday the detection of African swine fever (ASF) and hog cholera cases in La Castellana town.
Hog mortalities in Hinobaan town were also reported on Tuesday by Provincial Veterinarian Placeda Lemana.
Lacson said the detection of ASF cases in La Castellana, which for the longest time was not affected by the virus, may somehow affect the repopulation of pigs in the neighboring local government units.
The ASF virus was detected in La Castellana in September, almost a month after Negros Occidental logged zero hog mortalities.
Lacson said the sentineling program, a science-based approach to detecting the presence of the ASF virus in a particular area, will go on in areas with no report of hog mortalities.
“We will proceed with caution,” the governor said.
Negros Occidental, which has a P6- billion swine industry, recorded some 18,000 hog mortalities in at least 20 local government units since April this year.
Losses to hog diseases, including ASF, have been placed at almost P200 million.
In previous months, ASF cases were also reported in the cities of Bacolod, Kabankalan, Silay and Victorias, and the municipalities of Pulupandan and Hinigaran.
While it is a highly contagious and deadly viral disease, the Department of Health said ASF is not a threat to human health and cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans.
Lemana advised hog farmers, especially backyard raisers, to wait for the guidelines from the Provincial Veterinarian Office (PVO) before raising pigs again.
PVO personnel are now surveying the province to determine the qualified hog farmers that will undergo the sentineling program.
Lacson enjoined the PVO to fast track the program implementation, without resorting to a “short cut.”
The provincial government of Negros Occidental is eyeing to start the swine repopulation next year.
The Department of Agriculture earlier reported that ASF is now waning, although the threat is still there. | GB
