389 hogs culled in 5 Zambo City barangays to stop spread of ASF

ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 29 May) – The City Veterinarian’s Office here said 389 hogs have been culled as of May 28 here to stop the spread of  Asian Swine Fever (ASF).

ASF cases have been recorded in Zamboanga City’s five out of 98 barangays, affecting 133 hog raisers.  

The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) declared Zamboanga City under the Red Zone status for ASF, ranking third in the number of barangays affected nationwide. 

^{As of May 28, 2022, a total of 389 hogs have been culled in Zamboanga City to prevent the spread of the African Swine Fever. Photo courtesy of the Office of the City Veterinarian}

The declaration, issued on May 23 through Dr. Reildrin Morales, OIC of the BAI, was based figures as of May 18 that highlighted the number of ASF-affected barangays in the country.

City Veterinarian Dr. Mario Arriola said the highly infectious viral disease 
 “has high mortality, thus impacting economically swine raisers who depend on their sales for a living.”

Arriola assured that continuous monitoring is being done, containment measures have likewise been intensified, and affected swine raisers assisted by the city government. 

Dr. Arnedo Agbayani, Assistant City Veterinarian,  said, that as of May 28,  five barangays in the city are affected, affecting 133 hog raisers and a total of 389 hogs culled. 

The five affected barangays are Pasonanca, particularly in sitio Canucutan; Bunguao, in sitio Udjung; Manguso in sitio Lower and Upper Manguso in Barangay Manguso; Curuan in sitio Presa, and Manicahan, in sitio Corote.

He said they confiscated the pork chicharron sold at the airport and other stores  and canned goods containing pork from ASF-affected countries like China.

To prevent the spread of ASF, the City Veterinarian Office has been implementing  City Ordinance No. 566 on the Prevention and Control of Zoonotic and Non-Zoonotic Transboundary Animal Diseases with Economic and Public Health Impacts in Zamboanga City. 

The ordinance provides that all swine raisers in Zamboanga City are directed to avoid feeding their hogs with food scraps, kitchen refuse, “hinugas,” “kaning baboy” and  “pasaw”, as they might  contain imported or infected animal products. 

The same law prohibits mixed livestock and poultry raising, especially pigs and chickens or ducks, to avoid cross-infections of some viruses like influenza viruses. These, according to the ordinance, can generate a highly infectious and lethal virus strain through mutation that can effect multiple species or animals, including humans. 

Two barangays each were affected in Zamboanga Sibugay’s Buug and R. T. Lim towns. (Frencie Carreon / MindaNews)