CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The government has imported 600,000 vials of African Swine Fever (ASF) vaccines to deliver a different approach in the battle against the highly contagious viral disease affecting domestic and wild pigs.
PANGANIBAN (DA FB)
Department of Agriculture (DA) Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban noted that the government has been doing typical measures against ASF for the past years, such as banning the importation, depopulating affected hogs, and compensating the farmers. But to provide a much better intervention, Panganiban said the government imported 600,000 vials of ASF vaccines this year that are currently under testing. "If they find out that this vaccine is effective, then we shall use it nationally. Hopefully, it will be effective," Panganiban said in a press conference in this city on Tuesday, March 21, adding that these vaccines are solely for Luzon at present. Once the vaccines are proven effective, the national government, he said, will import six million vials, which will be distributed nationwide. The island of Mindanao would be the last to receive these vaccines since Mindanao has the least areas affected with ASF. Carlene Collado, DA-Region 10 (Northern Mindanao) director, said they continue to assist hog raisers in the region against ASF. Apart from the repopulation program, Collado said they are providing biosecurity measures and daily control and deployed its surveillance team. "Up to this time, there are no reports of deaths (from the affected barangays) from ASF-related diseases." Collado said Bukidnon and Misamis Occidental, including some towns from Misamis Oriental and Lanao del Norte, are still free from ASF. The DA-10 said 197 barangays in the region have been affected by ASF, with Misamis Oriental being the most affected province with 100 barangays.
PANGANIBAN (DA FB)
Department of Agriculture (DA) Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban noted that the government has been doing typical measures against ASF for the past years, such as banning the importation, depopulating affected hogs, and compensating the farmers. But to provide a much better intervention, Panganiban said the government imported 600,000 vials of ASF vaccines this year that are currently under testing. "If they find out that this vaccine is effective, then we shall use it nationally. Hopefully, it will be effective," Panganiban said in a press conference in this city on Tuesday, March 21, adding that these vaccines are solely for Luzon at present. Once the vaccines are proven effective, the national government, he said, will import six million vials, which will be distributed nationwide. The island of Mindanao would be the last to receive these vaccines since Mindanao has the least areas affected with ASF. Carlene Collado, DA-Region 10 (Northern Mindanao) director, said they continue to assist hog raisers in the region against ASF. Apart from the repopulation program, Collado said they are providing biosecurity measures and daily control and deployed its surveillance team. "Up to this time, there are no reports of deaths (from the affected barangays) from ASF-related diseases." Collado said Bukidnon and Misamis Occidental, including some towns from Misamis Oriental and Lanao del Norte, are still free from ASF. The DA-10 said 197 barangays in the region have been affected by ASF, with Misamis Oriental being the most affected province with 100 barangays.