The Philippines Department of Agriculture (DA) reported a total of 234 hogs from 44 swine raisers in two towns in Lanao del Norte province in Northern Mindanao have tested positive for African swine fever (ASF) and have been culled.
The hogs were from farms in Barangay Sta. Cruz in Maigo town and Barangay Liangan East, Bacolod town.
ASF focal person Dr. Jules Maquiling said the local governments promised to pay an indemnification of PHP2,000 per culled hog to the affected hog raisers, as well as another PHP2,000 from the provincial government.
Since the Department of Agriculture (DA) confirmed the first outbreak started on July 2019, ASF spread to 50 provinces.
ASF is not a health-risk to humans but only to wild and domestic pigs. The virus can survive for long in cured, dried and salted pork and often gets introduced to the farm through swill feeding of pigs. There is currently no cure nor is there an effective vaccine or treatment available for ASF. Once pigs are infected, the only measure is to cull the affected pig populations.
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