Cebu City continues pig testing to upgrade ASF status

Three barangays cleared of ASF cases

Stock photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF) continues to conduct ASF disease surveillance and disease investigation in the city.

Dr. Jessica Maribojoc, DVMF head, said the continued ASF disease surveillance and investigation was part of the city’s efforts to upgrade the city’s status from ASF-infected zone (red zone) to buffer zone (pink zone) and eventually ASF-free zone (green zone).

Maribojoc, on Wednesday, May 30, 2023, said that only Cebu City in the entire Cebu Island, had been currently conducting ASF disease surveillance and disease investigation, or blood collection and blood extraction from barangays with reported confirmed ASF cases.

READ: Mayor Rama issues EO for ASF control in Cebu City

“We are aiming to upgrade our status, which is considered as infected zone or red zone pa man ta ( we are still a red zone) into pink (zone) and later on, going to buffer and then free zone. That’s the reason why nagaconduct pa ta ana (still have to conduct that). Kay kung dili ta magconduct ana, dili ta maupgrade  (Because if we will not conduct it, we cannot upgrade) into pink, yellow, light green to green,” she said.

Based on the zoning status of the Bureau of Animal Industry, the red zone is classified as infected with ASF, pink denotes a buffer zone, yellow is under surveillance, white is for a protected zone, and green is for the ASF-free zone.

She said that for a locality’s ASF status to be upgraded by the national government, it should have a zero case within 40 days upon the declaration of the infected status.

Positive samples

She, however, said that they continued to yield positive results from samples they tested. 

Although, she clarified that these hogs did not come directly from Cebu City.

“Unfortunately, naa pa gihapon mi makuha ron nga samples which is positive coming not directly from Cebu City, (but) nakasulod sa Cebu City,” she said.

(Unfortunately, we still can get samples, which is positive coming not directly from Cebu City (but) these have entered Cebu City.)

She, however, refused to divulge the origin of these hogs, but said that the locality had been considered an infected zone by the national government.

She also refused to divulge which barangay in the city still had been tagged as ASF-infected, but assured that the barangay officials concerned were already informed of their status and how to manage the situation.

Meanwhile, she said the ASF cases in Barangays Tisa, Budlaan, and Bulacao had been contained already.

“For the barangay nga karon lang na detect nato, we are still conducting disease surveillance pa gihapon. Kay na-control na nato sa area kung asa siya nakolekta, but within the premises is nagacollect pa gihapon ta,” she said.

READ: ASF spreads to more areas in Cebu

(For the barangay that only now we have detected, we are still conducting disease surveillance. Because we have controlled it in the area where we have collected, but within the within the premises is we can also collect them.)

“Ang kato siya (nga barangay) is reported tulo (pig mortalities),” she added.

Maribojoc said they continued to cull ASF-infected pigs, but subject other pigs within the 500-meter radius of the infected area for observation.

Since the detection of ASF cases in the city, the DVMF has culled at least 12 pigs in the city.

“If these pigs (within 500-meter radius of a considered infected-area) are (tested) negative of ASF then pwede nato ihawon (we can butcher them), but if it is positive, we have to cull. Good thing nga katong nahibilin (that was left) is negative, so we are advising in that case to slaughter the animal para di na siya mukatag jud (so that it will not spread),” she said.

RELATED STORIES

Culling, as anti-ASF protocol, now unlawful in Cebu province

Cebu governor bans unsanctioned ASF testing, threatens to arrest violators

African swine fever in Bacolod upsetting Negros Occidental pig exports

/dbs