African swine fever

Davao City steps up biosecurity measures as hog in abattoir tests ASF-positive

Rommel Rebollido

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Davao City steps up biosecurity measures as hog in abattoir tests ASF-positive

DOOMED. Pigs ready for culling in General Santos City in the Soccsksargen Region in January 2022.

Rommel Rebollido/Rappler

The Davao City Veterinarian’s Office says the animal was initially cleared, but later turned out to be infected with African swine fever

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – Authorities stepped up biosecurity measures in Davao City following confirmation that a hog that found its way from South Cotabato to the stockyard of the city’s major public market and butchered in an abattoir was infected with the African swine fever (ASF).

The Davao City Veterinarian’s Office said on Tuesday, July 5, that the animal was initially cleared of ASF, but it later turned out to be infected.

The discovery of the ASF-infected animal prompted authorities to launch city-wide antemortem and postmortem inspections of hogs and hog carcasses.

Stockyards in Davao City were temporarily shut down, including the one at the Bankerohan public market where the infected pig was brought from Banga town in South Cotabato.

The discovery proved costly – all hogs in the stockyard of Davao’s main public market were culled.

Local veterinary office workers were also deployed to do rounds and closely monitor other public markets and stockyards, slaughterhouses, cold storage facilities, and meat processing plants.

Border inspections were tightened. The local government has required hog traders from ASF-hit areas to present documents from the Department of Agriculture (DA) as proof that the animals have been given clearance.

Dr. Maria Corazon Sepulveda, assistant chief of the local veterinary office’s surveillance team, said the infected hog was processed on June 20 at the Maa slaughterhouse in Davao. As soon as postmortem inspection results showed it had ASF, the carcass was quickly disposed of.

But officials assured that “there is no ASF outbreak” in Davao City and deemed the ASF infection at the Maa slaughterhouse “an isolated case.”

In January, the CVO categorized five areas in Davao City – Inayangan, Lamanan, Dominga in the Calinan District; Magsaysay in Magsaysay district; and Colosas in Paquibato district – as “ASF red zones.” 

Veterinarians have warned that ASF is a highly contagious viral disease among pigs that generally results in high mortality. The virus does not affect people and neither does it impact human health. – Rappler.com

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