LIVE hogs for transport. (Tara Yap)
ILOILO CITY – African Swine Fever (ASF) cases have reemerged in Iloilo province, four years after an outbreak.
The Iloilo Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) confirmed on Thursday, July 2, positive cases in Barotac Viejo town, following positive results in tests conducted by the Regional Animal Diseases and Diagnostic Laboratory under the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Iloilo City.
Results from samples from other suspected ASF cases have yet to be released. Hogs believed to be infected with ASF have been reported in the province in the past two weeks.
Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Darel Tabuada lauded hog raisers in Barotac Viejo for acting promptly on reported cases. Deceased hogs were immediately buried as part of biosafety protocols to curb the spread of ASF.
Iloilo is now the second province in Western Visayas with positive ASF cases. The first was Capiz province. A positive case was also recorded in Negros Occidental, which used to be part of Western Visayas.
The latest resurgence of ASF has resulted in the temporary ban on trading and transporting of live hogs, pork and pork-based products in Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, and Iloilo City.