It’s all systems go for the inoculation of hogs against the African Swine Fever (ASF) in Batangas on Friday, August 30.
This was announced by Department of Agriculture (DA) spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa during a press briefing.
“All systems go tayo for the vaccination sa Lobo, Batangas. Iyong mga na-test nating baboy prior to vaccination ay negative [for ASF] and healthy so matutuloy ang bakuna natin bukas 9 a.m. (It's all systems go for the vaccination in Lobo, Batangas. The hogs we tested prior to the vaccination were negative for ASF and healthy, so the vaccination will proceed tomorrow at 9 a.m.),” he said on Thursday, August 29.
De Mesa said they will prioritize vaccinating small-hold and backyard hog-raisers in Batangas.
One vial of the ASF vaccine from Vietnam can vaccinate 50 hogs, he added.
The DA has allocated 10,000 doses of ASF vaccine to Batangas and its neighboring areas.
“For Batangas 10,000 [doses] and other nearby areas. Itong initial 10,000 doses ay galing doon sa emergency procurement (This initial 10,000 is for Batangas and other nearby areas. The initial 10,000 doses is from the emergency procurement),” he said.
The DA spokesperson declined to provide the target number of hogs they are planning to vaccinate during the first day of the inoculation of the ASF vaccine.
Earlier, the agriculture department said they will focus on vaccinating hogs in areas classified as “red areas.” Areas identified as red zones are high risk or currently experiencing an outbreak of a specific agricultural disease, such as ASF.
According to the agency, the spread of ASF has intensified, with 32 provinces now reporting active cases and 458 barangays affected.
Such is a considerable increase from June, when the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) recorded just 12 affected provinces and 32 barangays.
The BAI has allotted P350 million for the procurement of ASF vaccines, De Mesa said.
During a town hall meeting in Occidental Mindoro in April, President Marcos said that the ASF vaccines would be obtained from Vietnam.
ASF, a highly contagious and deadly swine disease, has been devastating swine industries around the world since its resurgence in 2018.
In 2019, ASF resurfaced in the Philippines and has since spread across more than 3,800 barangays in 53 provinces by July 2022.
Due to ASF, local pork production in the Philippines fell by almost a fourth from June to October 2021 against the comparative period in 2020.