September 2, 2024

 

ASF actively affects 32 provinces in Philippines

The number of provinces in the Philippines with active cases of African swine fever (ASF) increased to 32 while affected villages, or barangays, rose to 458, the Department of Agriculture (DA) reported.

 

"The number [of affected areas] really increased. We can see on June 7 there were only 32 barangays with active cases [and] it gradually went up," said Agriculture Assistant Secretary and spokesman Arnel de Mesa last week. "By July, it was 150 and by early August, it had reached 251,"

 

The most affected provinces are Batangas, Occidental Mindoro, and North Cotabato. As of August 21, the DA has identified 87 barangays in North Cotabato, 69 in Mindoro and 66 in Batangas with active ASF cases.

 

Other provinces with reported active cases of ASF are La Union, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, Rizal, Marinduque, Oriental Mindoro, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate, Aklan, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Leyte, Samar, Zamboanga del Sur, Misamis Oriental, Davao Occidental, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and Basilan.

 

In response, de Mesa said that the department will start ASF vaccinations earlier than planned, starting August 30 in Batangas.

 

The first batch of vaccination aims to roll out around 2,000 doses of AVAC ASF Live vaccine, the first ASF vaccine in the Philippines from Vietnam and approved by the Food and Drug and Administration for regulated use by the government.

 

Despite concerns on the hog population, the DA official assured the public that pork supply remains sufficient in the country.

 

Citing data from the National Meat Inspection Service, de Mesa said that the volume of frozen pork in cold storage facilities increased marginally from 55,911 metric tons to 56,000 metric tons. He noted that the majority of the volume was imported accounting 98.3% while the rest are local meat.

 

The department expressed optimism that the country's meat inventory will meet the demand, even during the holiday season.

- The Manila Times