By Ivy Tejano
DAVAO ORIENTAL - The nine reported deaths in the pig population in three coastal barangays in the City of Mati have been ruled out as African Swine Fever (ASF) infection.
Mati City Veterinarian Services Office head Dr. Marites Erispe said the samples taken from the hogs in barangays Lanca, Luban, and Cabuaya were no longer tested by the Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory based in General Santos City.
This is because, Erispe said, the symptoms observed from the piglets that died were not the same as the symptoms of ASF.
She said that instead of the ASF testing, the samples were subjected to the Classical Swine Fever test which also yielded negative result.
"Compared with ASF wherein lahat affected, but in this case puro piglets lang, then isolated case kasi isa lang ka owner tapos meron history na binigyan nya ng dewormer na para sa kalabaw ginamit nya sa piglet," Erispe said.
Erispe said Mati City remains to be ASF-free.
The local government unit (LGU) is now giving special attention to the three coastal barangays due to their proximity by sea to Davao Occidental where the first outbreak of ASF in Mindanao was reported.
According to Mati City public information officer Ben Tesiorna, quarantine checkpoints in the entry and exit points of Davao Oriental and Mati City have been set up to prevent the entry of ASF in the province and the city.
Tesiorna said that all pork products and byproducts from Luzon and ASF-affected areas are not allowed to pass through the quarantine checkpoints.
Pork products coming from other areas must have all the corresponding health and sanitary permits before being allowed entry into the province, he added.