5th Iloilo town reports African Swine Fever

BACOLOD, Philippines – Santa Barbara town in Iloilo province is the fifth municipality to report confirmed cases of African Swine Fever (ASF), Iloilo Provincial Veterinary Office (IPVO) chief Darel Tabuada announced on Monday, November 7.

Tabuada told reporters that samples had been taken from three farms in the town, but did not detail the number of infected hogs.

His latest announcement of the ASF spread followed the culling by Leganes town of 82 infected swine, mostly from backyard lots in Barangay MV Hechanova. 

Leganes municipal administrator David Israel Sinay said three ASF cases were confirmed in the barangay last week.

The discovery prompted Mayor Vicente Jaen II to issue Executive Order No. 53  on November 3, prohibiting the vending of pork products on roadsides and sidewalks.

So far, town inspectors have closed down 22 makeshift stands selling pork products, limiting all sales to the public market.

The mayor also ordered the Barangay Livestock Aid (BALA) in the town’s 18 villages to help monitor ASF cases and compliance to local government safeguards.

Neither Leganes nor Santa Barbara had been declared as red zones since infection had not spread beyond a single barangay in  both cases.

The towns that earlier reported ASF cases – Oton, San Miguel, and Alimodian – are all considered red zones, with the provincial government and neighboring local governments putting up checkpoints to prevent the exit of livestock and pork products. – Rappler.com