By CESAR JOLITO III
African swine fever (ASF) has affected 13 local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental, resulting in the deaths of 2,130 hogs as of Tuesday, June 30, the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) said.
ASF has affected a total of 55,961 hogs in 13 LGUs, equivalent to 3.81 percent of the province’s total hog inventory of 329,531, based on Philippine Statistics Authority data.
Despite the outbreak, actual ASF mortalities account for only 0.65 percent of Negros Occidental’s total hog population, indicating that the disease remains confined to a limited portion of the province, PVO head Dr. Placeda Lemana said.
Provincial authorities continue to strengthen disease surveillance, movement controls and biosecurity measures to prevent further spread.
Meanwhile, Lemana said she is unaware of whether Bacolod City has imposed additional restrictions on the entry of live hogs from neighboring towns, particularly Murcia town, one of the province’s major hog-producing municipalities.
She noted that most hogs slaughtered at the slaughterhouse in Bacolod’s Barangay Handumanan are sourced from Murcia and other towns in Negros Occidental.
Lemana also urged hog raisers to properly dispose of dead hogs by burying them after the Bago City Veterinary Office reported that a hog carcass was found floating in the Bago River.
She warned that contaminated water could accelerate the spread of ASF, stressing the importance of proper carcass disposal alongside strict biosecurity measures to protect the province’s remaining healthy hog population.
Unlikely to disappear
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson has called for sustained vigilance against ASF, warning that the disease is unlikely to disappear soon and emphasizing that strict biosecurity measures remain the province’s strongest defense.
Lacson said both government authorities and hog raisers should continue implementing preventive measures and avoid becoming complacent despite ongoing efforts to contain the disease.
“[Ang] ASF, madugay ‘ni madula, pero indi ‘ta magkompyansa, indi ‘ta mag-relax. We need to implement biosecurity [measures],” the governor said.
He stressed that maintaining strict farm biosecurity protocols is essential to preventing new infections and protecting the province’s swine industry from further losses./CCJ, WDJ