SORSOGON CITY (PIA) -- The Sorsogon Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) is now continuously monitoring identified areas in three municipalities in the province of Sorsogon which were declared by the Deaprtment of Agriculture to have cases of African Swine Fever.
The Barangays of Cogon and Ignacio in Gubat, Sorsogon have been identified by the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) in their areas that had positive cases of African Swine Fever, a viral disease that solely attacks live pigs.
According to Dr. Enrique Espiritu, a total of 76 pigs from said two barangays were culled last April 24 to prevent the spread of the virus In the area. This was done within the 500 meters radius from the identified and confirmed epicenter where the ASF virus is detected.
Consistent monitoring in the said barangays for possible ASF infection is being done by the concerned authorities particularly the assigned personnel from the local PNP and assigned personnel from the local Agriculture Office.
On April 16, 59 pigs from sitio Lawigan, Barangay San Rafel in Sta. Magdalena, Sorsogon were culled to prevent the possible spread of the virus in the said barangay. The culled pigs were from the 28 backyard raisers where their pigpens are within the 500-meter radius from the epicenter of the ASF.
On April 24, 79 pigs were depopulated in the town of Gubat particularly from Barangay Ignacio and Cogon. The swab and blood samples taken from the pigs reported to be sick from these barangay yielded to be positive from ASF virus.
Last March 29, 28 pigs were culled or depopulated due to ASF after an infected pigs were found to be infected by the ASF in the area. Fortunately, two samples from Barangays San Ramon and Libertad tested by the Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory of DA region 5 were found to be negative from the ASF virus incetion.
On April 28, 57 pigs were depopulated in Barangays Paghaluban and Layog in the town of Barcelona. There are 7 farmers affected in Barangay Paghaluban and 3 in Layog.
Since December 2020 to date, there's a total of 302 pigs depopulated by culling in the province of Sorsogon due to ASF infection. Continuing practice of Biosecurity remains to be the best way to prevent the spread of the ASF virus according to local agriculture officials here.
All of these areas in Sorsogon with positive cases of African Swine Fever are declared under Red Zone category by the Department of Agriculture Regional Office no. 5.(PIA5/ Sorsogon)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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