Negocc vet to get hog blood samples as part of ASF prevention
THE Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) is set to collect 446 blood samples from both commercial and backyard hogs from different local governments units (LGUS) in Negros Occidental as part of its surveillance efforts against African Swine Fever (ASF), an official said.
Acting Provincial Veterinarian Placeda Lemana said on Monday, October 24, that as early as September this year the Department of Agriculture (DA) has ordered all provincial veterinarians in the country to collect blood samples.
Before the order of President Ferdinand Marcos, the different LGUS have been asked to submit the blood samples to the Animal Health Division of the Bureau of Animal Industry, she said.
Lemana said it’s also part of the requirements since Negros Occidental exports meat products and live pigs to other provinces.
She also assured the public that Negros Occidental remains Asf-free.
Lemana also said that while there is “a possibility that ASF can be transmitted from an infected pig by a mosquito there will be no adverse effect on humans.”
In a related development, Marcos ordered the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Western Visayas on Sunday, October 23, to test all pig breeding sites in the region to control the spread of the ASF.
The directive came after the DA - Western Visayas regional office reported during a situation briefing in Bacolod City that cases of ASF had been reported in the area, particularly in Iloilo.
Marcos said all measures to prevent its spread are already in place, including banning pork products from infested areas.
He said testing all breeding farms for ASF is one of the most effective ways of controlling the spread of infection.*