CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Provincial Veterinary Office has assured that the death of the 12 pigs of a backyard hog raiser in Carcar City is less likely related to the African Swine Fever (ASF).
Dr. Rose Marie Vincoy, PVO chief, said in an interview on Monday, July 15, that the hogs that died in Barangay Perrelos, Carcar City on Friday did not manifest any of the symptoms of the ASF.
Vincoy said the owner of the pigs reported to their office on the sudden death of the livestock around 3 p.m. on Friday, July 12, and asked assistance for a necropsy, an examination on the cadaver of an animal to determine the cause of its death.
A PVO team that was deployed in the southern section of the province to Barangay Perrelos and conducted the necropsy on the swine around 4:30 p.m.
“Since naa tay (we have) impending threat to ASF, double to siya nga investigation. [But] the signs do not fit with that of ASF,” Vincoy said.
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She said that the veterinary team that conducted the necropsy on the 12 swine observed hemorrhage and lesions to the lungs of the animals, an indication that the pigs had struggled before they died.
The necropsy also noted that the flesh and the intestines of the pigs were clear and did not have hemorrhage.
Vincoy said they are looking at the possibility that the pigs inhaled or were sprayed with chemicals that caused their death.
Unlike that of the ASF symptoms where blue blotches would be found on the skin, the dead pigs’ skin when they were examined were clear.
Despite less possibility of associating the death to ASF, Vincoy said they forwarded samples to the Department of Agriculture Central Office for confirmatory laboratory examination.
“Rest assured, the Provincial Veterinary Office is doing its best to do surveillance. We have different outbreak investigation, not on pigs alone. Naa mi teams sa mga isla (we have teams on the islands) and the mainland, just to make sure nga dili ni siya (that this is not) ASF and to prevent an outbreak,” said Vincoy./dbs