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ASF detected in Davao de Oro town

By Che Palicte

July 8, 2021, 2:34 pm

<p><em>(Image from the Facebook page of Nabunturan LGU)</em></p>

(Image from the Facebook page of Nabunturan LGU)

DAVAO CITY – The Davao de Oro African Swine Fever (ASF) Task Force reported Wednesday that hogs at a piggery in Nabunturan town tested positive for the virus.

Mayor Chelita C. Amatong on the same day convened an emergency meeting with officials of the municipal government departments and agencies to quickly resolve and deal with the swine disease.

In a social media post, Dr. Elsa Villarreiz, Veterinarian II of the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAGRO), said the mayor issued an executive order aimed at preventing the spread of ASF but she did not give details of the directive.

“As a result, the slaughterhouse has once again strictly enforced the Veterinary Health Certificate requirement before the pigs can enter the town,” she said.

Villarreiz said the owner of the affected piggery in Barangay Anislagan reported on July 2 that some of his pigs fell ill and died.

She said the owner sent nine specimen samples on the same day to the Provincial Veterinarian’s Office (PVO) and the positive results came out on July 5.

“According to the caretaker, the virus might have possibly been acquired because a number of buyers from other areas have entered their farm for the past few weeks,” Villarreiz said.

Based on the inspection done by MAGRO, the affected farm is adjacent to some 10 other farms and there were 45 hogs within a 500-meter radius.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) will impose the 1-7-10 protocol to avert spread of the ASF virus, Villarreiz said.

Under the policy, swine will be prohibited from entering and/or leaving the area within a one-kilometer radius from the site of infection or ground zero, and hogs covered by the distance are to be depopulated.

On the other hand, hogs within a seven-kilometer radius would be under surveillance with restricted movements, and blood testing would be done.

Meanwhile, within the 10-kilometer radius from ground zero, mandatory monitoring and reporting of swine disease occurrences shall be implemented.

“I am grateful to our MAGRO and all our colleagues in the local government who are actively working at this time and I hope that we will work together so that ASF will not spread further in our town,” Amatong said also in a social media post, where she also verified the report from the department on the presence of ASF in the town. (PNA)

 

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