February 5, 2025

Decline in number of ASF-affected barangays in Philippines in January

The number of African swine fever (ASF)-affected barangays in the Philippines dropped in January, according to the latest report of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).

As of January 10, barangays under red zones, or those with active cases of ASF, declined to 133 in 34 cities and municipalities from 225 barangays on December 27, 2024.

The affected barangays are reported in eight regions including Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol, Central and Eastern Visayas, and Soccsksargen.

Areas with the highest number of red zones include Midsayap and Pigkawayan in North Cotabato, with 18 affected barangays each; Kidapawan City (15), Matalam (13), and Rizal in Kalinga (10).

Earlier, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said the stringent implementation of border checkpoints in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, alongside the government-controlled vaccination using AVAC live vaccines, have helped mitigate the impact of ASF in the Philippines’ hog industry.

To date, the DA targets to roll out 490,000 doses of ASF AVAC live vaccines to healthy and ASF-negative hogs to prevent further spread of ASF across the country.

- PNA