DA moves to contain swine diseases in CL

ANGELES CITY – The Department of Agriculture (DA) has placed swine farms in nine towns in Bulacan and six others in Pampanga under quarantine in its bid to contain the spread of hog cholera.

In Bulacan, cases of swine influenza have also been reported in Malolos City and 11 towns.

Dr. Romeo Manalili, officer-in-charge of the DA-Central Luzon’s regulatory division, said hog cholera was first reported in Bulacan and later spread to Pampanga.

“We have established mobile checkpoints to ensure that no hogs from the affected areas are transported to other places to prevent further spread of the disease. Only hogs with shipping permits issued by the provincial veterinarians of the two provinces would be allowed to be transported,” he said.

Quarantine measures are now strictly enforced in Guiguinto, Hagonoy, Paombong, Malolos, Plaridel, Balagtas, Calumpit, Pulilan, and Pandi, all in Bulacan, and in San Luis, San Simon, Candaba, Minalin, Sto. Tomas, and Sta. Rita, all in Pampanga, he said.

Manalili said hog farms in Guiguinto and Balagtas towns in Bulacan and San Luis in Pampanga were the most severely affected. 

Bulacan provincial veterinarian Felipe Bartolome, however, said 43 barangays in as many as 11 towns and one city in the province have been affected.

Swine farms, pigpens, slaughterhouses, trailers and other animal carriers are now being disinfected, he said.

Bartolome said at least 2,823 hogs have been afflicted with either cholera or flu in 183 piggeries in Bulacan.

Manalili cited reports that 2,250 hogs in Bulacan and 2,157 others in Pampanga have died due to cholera.

“There’s really nothing to panic about since hog cholera cannot be passed on to humans and we have everything under control,” he said.

Manalili said the number of affected hogs comprise only a small percentage of the estimated two million hog population in Central Luzon.

He said hog cholera has been noted only in backyard piggeries and not in commercial ones.

“Apparently, backyard raisers did not vaccinate their hogs perhaps to save on cost, so their animals became vulnerable to cholera triggered by the erratic weather,” he said.

Manalili said commercial hog raisers normally vaccinate their animals against cholera even if no cases are observed.

He said vaccination costs only P40 to P50 per head and remains effective for a year.

He said backyard raisers have started to vaccinate their animals. He gave assurance that there is enough supply of hog cholera vaccines in Central Luzon.

Davinio Catbagan, director of the Bureau of Animal Industry, said laboratory tests of dead hogs confirmed the presence of hog cholera and “psuedo rabies” but not swine flu.

The bureau, however, is still verifying reports from the Philippine College of Swine Practitioners attributing the deaths to swine flu.

The provincial government of Bulacan formed yesterday an inter-agency crisis management team that would contain the outbreak of hog cholera and flu.

Provincial administrator Ma. Gladys Sta. Rita said the crisis management team would see to it that “no contaminated meats or infected hogs shall be shipped out of farms and piggeries.”

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap has directed all DA officials to put measures in place to prevent the spread of the hog diseases.

He advised hog raisers to dispose of sick animals, carcasses, and beddings through burying or burning; vaccinate even apparently healthy hogs; and thoroughly clean and disinfect affected areas. – With Dino Balabo, Marianne Go and Ric Sapnu