TACLOBAN CITY (PNA) – At least 12 villages in Dulag, Leyte have been placed under strict surveillance due to new cases of African swine fever (ASF), the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced on Sunday.
 
These villages are within the seven to 10 kilometers radius of a confirmed ASF case in Combis village as validated by the result of a laboratory test released on Jan. 29.
 
“Village officials were given a thorough orientation briefing by the regional task force and proper advice on how to manage, contain, and control the spread of the disease,” the DA regional office said in a statement.
 
All hog raisers in Dulag, some 41 kilometers south of this city, are advised to closely monitor their respective hogs and report to their municipal agriculture office any observed disease symptoms of hogs and institute strict quarantine measures, avoid swill feeding, and most importantly, to report immediately any incidence of unusual deaths.
 
Dulag is the fourth town in Leyte province with confirmed ASF cases. The first case was in Abuyog town recorded on Jan. 14.
 
Dulag is about 44 kilometers from Abuyog. Other areas with ASF are Javier and MacArthur.
Last week, the agriculture department collected blood samples in Dulag after the unusual and sudden death of a sow in Combis village.
 
“Our appeal to local government units in the adjoining areas is to take immediate action and seriously address the spread of the animal disease in their locality. Create or reactivate their ASF task force by stepping up efforts to regulate the movement of live pigs, pork, and processed pork products that go inside and outside their respective towns,” the DA said.
 
Since the ASF outbreak hit the province early in January, at least 1,600 pigs have been culled to contain the spread of the disease.
 
Initial investigation showed that the ASF virus could have been transmitted to local farms in Leyte through infected boar being used for natural mating and by hog traders who may have fed their stocks with contaminated food products.
 
Pigs affected by ASF usually manifest high fever, distinct reddish areas on the skin of the neck, chest, and extremities, and bleeding of internal organs that could lead to death within two to 10 days.
As of the end of 2020, the entire province has 127,725 live pigs.