Davao City remains free from the African Swine Fever (ASF), a deadly hemorrhagic fever of pigs which threatens food security and the economy.
This was an assurance released by the Davao City Veterinary Office (CVO) in light of the reported death cases of pigs in other areas.
Dr. Esther Cherrie Rayos, the Officer-in-Charge of the CVO, said her team is constantly coordinating with hog raisers to ensure that government bio-security protocol is followed.
She said the city government has asked all backyard hog raisers to avoid giving swill to their hogs because this will increase the chances of infection.
“The good news is that ASF does not have any harmful effects on the human being, but it can sweep out our hog industry so we have to be very careful about this,” Rayos said.
Rayos explained that there is no vaccine against the ASF yet, which is why a ban on pork products coming from ASF-contaminated countries is being implemented.
“The ban on pork products coming from countries such as China, Vietnam, and Laos, which are contaminated by the ASF is currently ongoing to prevent the virus from entering the city (and the country),” she said.
Rayos added her office is also closely coordinating with the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) and the Department of Agriculture, in ensuring no meat from countries with ASF cases can enter the city. CIO
