By JEN BAYLON

Negros Occidental has recorded no new cases of African swine fever (ASF) since September 2023, the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) said.

“I think the last report was in August 2023. After that, no positive cases have been reported,” PVO head Dr. Placeda Lemana stated.

Local government units (LGUs) with reported ASF positive cases in previous years were declared under the pink category, except for Escalante City, she added.

“If it’s under the pink category, it means there are no more ASF cases,” Lemana said.

In response to previous ASF outbreaks, Negros Occidental has heightened border control measures to prevent the recurrence of the hog illness.

The province recorded almost 18,000 hog mortalities due to ASF in about 20 local government units in 2023.

However, the province, which has a P6-billion swine industry, effectively reduced pig deaths to single digits, indicating the success of ASF control measures.

The government’s sentineling program encourages farmers to return to swine production following previous ASF outbreaks.

Twenty-six LGUs in Western Visayas have progressed from infected zones to buffer zones and are already in the sentineling process, while 15 others are waiting for approval./JB, WDJ