BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Several days after this city logged its first cases of African swine fever, ASF was detected in Pulupandan town in Negros Occidental.
A report of the Bureau of Animal Industry showed that hogs in Barangay Mabini were affected.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said the affected area had been isolated. He said he did not order the culling of hogs pending observation for 15 days.
Lacson said there should be no rush in declaring Negros Occidental as ASF-infected due to its negative impact on commercial and backyard hog raisers.
Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia ordered a ban on the entry of live hogs, piglets and pork products from Negros Occidental after ASF was detected in the province.
As of Tuesday, Negros Occidental had logged 7,229 hog deaths due to swine cholera and other diseases, with losses pegged at P93.1 million.
Ric Lauron, president of the Alliance of Hog Raisers Association in Negros Occidental, said the government should provide assistance to affected hog raisers.
Lauron said border control is not enough to contain the spread of the ASF virus.
On Tuesday, the group of hog raisers recommended during the Sangguniang Panlalawigan hearing to preserve the areas classified as green zones and conduct massive disinfection and vaccination.