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CEBU CITY, Philippines — Local officials here urged stakeholders to keep their guard up as Ormoc City confirms its first case of the highly contagious African Swine Fever (ASF).
The Provincial Veterinary Office, on Thursday, June 24, verified information that ASF had been reported in Ormoc City, Leyte.
“We ask everyone its cooperation and continued vigilance against ASF and report any unusual pig mortalities in their area,” said Dr. Mary Rose Vincoy, Provincial Veterinarian, in a text message sent to reporters.
Vincoy also assured concerned stakeholders, particularly farms raising live hogs and pork producers, that they are continually implementing ‘strict border controls’ and disease surveillance in the province.
“All livestock transport carriers including meat vans issued by the Provincial Livestock Transport Pass and entering Cebu were required to undergo the seven-day downtime period and disinfection,” she added.
Cebu, and the entire Central Visayas for that matter, remained free of ASF. Ormoc City belongs to Eastern Visayas or Region 8.
The multi-billion hog industry of Region 7 has been the largest supplier of live pigs and producer of pork in the country, latest report from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.
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