A total of 1,902 pigs have died from various diseases in 12 local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental as of June 25, the provincial veterinarian reported on Tuesday, June 30.
The mortalities represent 3.27 percent of the total hog population in the affected areas, Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Placeda Lemana said.
The affected livestock were located across 89 barangays, the majority of which are situated in southern Negros Occidental.
Dr. Lemana clarified that authorities cannot definitively attribute all the deaths to African Swine Fever (ASF) since many of the hogs were not tested.
Among the 12 affected LGUs, only the municipality of San Enrique has confirmed positive cases of ASF.
However, Lemana noted that the clinical signs and symptoms exhibited by the dead pigs closely resembled both ASF and hog cholera.
“We cannot deny that the signs and symptoms were the same as ASF and hog cholera,” Lemana said.
She added, however, that further laboratory examinations could no longer be conducted because the carcasses had already been buried.
In response to the situation, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson has issued an advisory directing LGUs to strictly implement biosecurity and containment protocols to prevent further spikes in hog mortalities.*
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