MAYOR Greg Gasataya and Dr. Maria Agueda dela Torre, head of the City Veterinary Office (CVO), report four positive cases of African Swine Fever (ASF) during a press briefing at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC) on Wednesday, July 1. (Glazyl Masculino)
BACOLOD CITY – Four cases of African Swine Fever (ASF) were reported in two barangays here.
Dr. Maria Agueda dela Torre, head of the City Veterinary Office (CVO), announced in a media briefing on Wednesday, July 1, that samples from two hogs in Bangga Riles, Barangay Alijis and two in Purok 5, Barangay Taculing were tested after two hog mortalities were reported in Barangay Alijis and eight in Barangay Taculing.
Dela Torre said that these areas will be immediately cordoned off to contain and prevent the spread of ASF to other barangays.
Mayor Greg Gasataya said that border control security measures are already in place to prevent the spread of ASF.
He said that surveillance and testing will be conducted to separate unaffected pigs from positive cases. The city government has purchased five boxes of test kits worth P425,000 for random testing.
Dela Torre said that random sampling will begin at the slaughterhouse on Thursday, July 2, with five asymptomatic hogs subjected to initial test.
The City Agriculture Office said this city has more than 5,000 hogs and 430 backyard hog raisers.
The CVO urged barangays to report unusual occurrences in hogs to concerned authorities for immediate action.
Gasataya assured that the city is doing measures to address the situation and sustain pork supply.