BAGUIO CITY – The Cordillera office of the Department of Agriculture (DA-CAR) disclosed that the number of African Swine Fever (ASF) cases in the region dropped by a whooping eighty percent during the first quarter of this year compared to the cases that were recorded during the same period last year.
Based on the data obtained from the DA-CAR’s Animal Health Unit, there were 10 ASF cases in 5 municipalities that was documented during the first quarter last year compared to the 2 ASF cases in 2 municipalities that was recorded during the first quarter of this year.
DA-CAR regional executive director Dr. Cameron Odsey stated that despite the decrease in reported ASF cases in the region, the agency will still continue to conduct aggressive information and education campaign to ensure that the unnecessary increases in cases will be prevented.
He said that based on the latest data, the ASF cases seems to be on a down trend although there is still a need for hog raisers regionwide to be vigilant to ensure that the occurrence of cases in their commercial or backyard farms could be immediately addressed to prevent the same from contaminating other hogs within the prescribed radius and cause shortage in the supply of pork in the market.
ASF is a highly contagious viral disease that has been a problem since the outbreak in October 2019.
It has killed thousands of pigs and affected hundreds of Farmer in the Cordillera. Below are the comparison of cases and municipalities affected in the 1st quarter of 2021 and 2022.
Among the strategic measures undertaken by the DA-CAR in close coordination with local governments to contain the spread of the animal virus include the actual cleaning and dis-infection of the infected areas; assisted in the depopulation of infected animals to prevent the further spread of the virus in neighboring commercial or backyard piggery farms; distributed disinfectants and test kits; provided personal proactive equipment (PPE) to the concerned local governments; conducted aggressive information and education campaign and distributed information materials in the areas that reported ASF cases; conducted weekly monitoring of the areas that recorded ASF cases and provided indemnification distribution to the affected hog raisers.
The signs of ASF in pigs are high fever 40 – 42 degrees Celsius; loss of appetite; depression; lethargic, sometimes refusal to stand or move; very unsteady when standing up; vomiting or diarrhea with bloody discharge; white skinned pigs show extremities such as nose, ears, tail and lower legs, that are cyanotic or blue-purple color; discrete hemorrhages appear in the skin particularly on the ears and flanks; group will huddle together and are usually shivering; abnormal breathing; heavy discharge from eyes or nose; comatose stage and death within a few days and some pigs can show conjunctivitis with reddening of the conjunctival mucosa and ocular discharges.
Further, pregnant sows commonly undergo miscarriage or deliver still born piglets that are malformed, thus, the said piglets can be tested for the said virus.