3 barangays in Rodriguez, Rizal under quarantine over possible ASF

MANILA, Philippines — Three barangays in Rodriguez in Rizal are under quarantine because of the possible presence of African swine fever, a highly contagious hemorrhagic disease in pigs and boars.

The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office in Rodriguez has revealed that the barangays of Macabud, San Isidro and San Jose have been quarantined since Saturday due to the reported death of hogs there.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar on Monday decided not to disclose the areas affected by "increased mortality" but the MDDRMO on Tuesday confirmed that three barangays in the town were affected.

Rodriguez has 11 barangays and San Isidro and San Jose are the most populated in the municipality.

"Right now, the doctors of Region 4A are there. About 40 doctors are there," Genaro Inocentes of the MDDRMO said.

"The areas have been in quarantine since Saturday, until now they are still looking what kind of disease," he added.

Inocentes said the local government cooperated when doctors ordered the quarantine.

The Department of Agriculture implemented its 'one-seven-ten' principle over the weekend to quarantine and depopulate the area.

This means that all hogs within a one-kilometer radius will be culled while those in seven- and 10-kilometer radiuses are under strict surveillance.

The DA has yet to confirm if the cause of the higher mortality of the pigs in the area is ASF.

Last Friday, the DA received an incident report from its attached agency Bureau of Animal Industry "on an increased mortality of pigs raised by farmers in their backyards."

The DA is already conducting further confirmatory laboratory tests, including sending blood samples to laboratories abroad to ascertain the cause of the animals’ death.

ASF task force member Joy Lagayan, a veterinarian with the BAI, said the mortality rate in the area has shot up to as much as 20% against an average mortality rate for pigs of from three to five percent.

The DA will call a press conference Wednesday to give updates on the situation.

ASF, which has mortality rates of as high as 100%, continues to ravage Southeast and East Asia one year after an outbreak occurred in China.

The Philippines has banned pork imports from China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, North Korea, Laos, Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Moldova, South Africa, Zambia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Belgium, Latvia, Poland, Germany and Romania.

Last May, the ASF viral gene was detected in confiscated Sky Dragon pork luncheon meat seized in Clark International Airport from a returning resident from Hong Kong. This was not reported in pigs in the country at that time.