The Negros Oriental Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) has confirmed five cases of African swine fever (ASF) in the town of La Libertad, prompting intensified containment measures and heightened surveillance in four other municipalities.
PVO chief Dr. Melody Vilan reported the confirmed cases during a meeting of the Provincial Task Force on ASF yesterday, attended by Governor Manuel Sagarbarria, local officials and other stakeholders.
“The positive results were based on blood samples collected from pigs in La Libertad on June 25 and 26 from the barangays of Martilo [Sitio Binatangan], Mapalasan, Pisong [Sitio Pisok], and Pangca,” Vilan said.
Of the 65 blood samples collected, Vilan said five tested positive for ASF — one from Binatangan in Barangay Martilo, two from Barangay Mapalasan, and two from Sitio Pisok in Barangay Pisong.
The nine blood samples collected from Barangay Pangca all tested negative for the disease.
Vilan said eight pigs from affected households would be culled to prevent further spread of the virus.
She added that biosecurity measures, including chemical disinfection in areas where infected pigs were found, are being implemented.
Unlike previous ASF control protocols that required depopulating pigs within a 500-meter radius of an infected site, Vilan said current guidelines call for culling only pigs in households or backyard farms where ASF has been confirmed.
Meanwhile, the PVO has placed the towns of Sibulan, San Jose, Amlan, and Siaton under close surveillance following reports of hog deaths in recent weeks.
Vilan said veterinary personnel are profiling affected animals before collecting blood samples for laboratory testing. She also stressed the need for barangay-level monitoring and surveillance to help contain the virus’s spread.
During the meeting, agriculture officials noted that some hog raisers have been reluctant to report pig deaths for fear that authorities would order the culling of their animals if ASF is confirmed.
Sagarbarria reiterated that the provincial government is preparing to declare a state of calamity to allow the use of calamity funds to respond to the ASF outbreak.
He said the proposed declaration would also address the ongoing infestation of the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI), which has affected thousands of hectares of sugarcane plantations across the province.
The governor said that a resolution from the Sangguniang Panlalawigan is required before the provincial government can officially declare a state of calamity.
He emphasized that the immediate priority is to strengthen containment measures in communities to prevent the ASF virus from spreading to other areas of Negros Oriental. (PNA)