CEBU CITY, Philippines – Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia wants a thorough review of the findings of the African Swine Fever (ASF) in Carcar City.
And the governor will stick with her decision to stop the culling of pigs in the city despite an existing policy from the national government.
In a press briefing on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, Garcia expressed doubts about whether ASF is present in Carcar City or not.
The governor hinted that the samples from a slaughterhouse there, where the first case of ASF in Cebu was detected, might contain viral remnants of classic swine cholera instead.
“I believe this is cholera. There are deaths but not in massive quantities. We have to consider all possibilities,” Garcia said.
In the meantime, the Capitol continues to remind local hog raisers in Carcar City to follow strict biosecurity measures and surveillance such as doing away with swill feeding and proper disinfection.
Garcia said they need to take a ‘calibrated approach because livelihood is at stake.’ These included creating a plan that will task barangay officials to closely monitor farms.
“This will be down to barangay level. Any manifestation or symptom must be immediately reported,” she said.
Last March 12, Garcia questioned the testing done for several slaughtered pigs in Carcar City, in which the results yielded positive for the ASF virus.
During Wednesday’s press conference, she said further tests should be done to determine if the city is affected by ASF or just classic swine cholera.
/bmjo
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