Bacolod City and La Libertad, Negros Oriental, have confirmed cases of African Swine Fever (ASF), prompting intensified biosecurity and border control measures to prevent its further spread, officials said on Wednesday, July 1.
Hogs in Barangay Alijis and Barangay Taculing in Bacolod City have tested positive for the virus, City Veterinarian Dr. Maria Agueda de la Torre announced at a press conference at the Mayor’s Office on Wednesday afternoon.
The positive results were based on blood samples from four pigs submitted for testing to the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Western Visayas’ Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Iloilo, she said.
Samples were taken from live pigs in areas where pigs had died, de la Torre said.
Random testing of pigs will be conducted in Bacolod City, she said.
Pigs found positive for ASF will be condemned and buried, and the area where they were found will be disinfected, de la Torre added.
She called on barangay residents to immediately report suspected cases of ASF in their areas.
Bacolod imports the bulk of its pig supply, de la Torre said.
Mayor Greg Gasataya has issued Executive Order No. 046, reactivating the “Bantay ASF sa Barangay” program to prevent the spread of ASF in Bacolod.
“Although ASF has no impact on human health, it has a huge impact on the livelihoods of our brothers and sisters and the meat industry, which is why the city continues to focus on it,” the mayor said.
The mayor ordered the enforcement of stricter biosecurity measures, including the cleaning and disinfection of farms, equipment, and transport vehicles, the mandatory use of footbaths, limiting farm visitors, and a 30-day quarantine for newly purchased or returned pigs.
Meanwhile, Negros Oriental Governor Manuel Sagarbarria also confirmed cases of ASF in the town of La Libertad on Wednesday, though he did not specify how many pigs were affected.
Blood samples collected from hogs in La Libertad tested positive for ASF, and blood testing of pigs in the municipalities of Sibulan and Amlan is currently underway, he said.
Sagarbarria previously issued an executive order banning the entry of live hogs, pork, and pork by-products from ASF-affected areas.
Executive Order No. 46 strictly prohibits the entry into Negros Oriental of live pigs, pork products, pork by-products, frozen boar semen, and hog transport vehicles originating from or passing through ASF-affected, restricted, or high-risk zones.
Earlier, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson also confirmed the resurgence of ASF in Negros Occidental, particularly in the southern part of the province.*
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