19 hogs culled as ASF hits Cebu City

Local

NINE pigs from a backyard farm in Barangay Quiot, Cebu City tested positive for African Swine Fever (ASF).

The Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF) said the infected pigs belonged to a single hog raiser whose 22-pig backyard operation became the city's first confirmed ASF case under the current administration.

Dr. Jessica Maribojoc, officer-in-charge of the DVMF, clarified that while Mayor Nestor Archival earlier mentioned that around 20 pigs had been culled, the actual number was 19.

"Only 19 pigs were culled because one had already died before the culling," Maribojoc said.

Maribojoc said blood samples were collected after the owner sought veterinary assistance when one of his pigs showed signs of illness.

The first laboratory-confirmed positive case came from a pig sampled earlier this month, prompting the DVMF to expand testing across the entire herd.

Of the farm's 22 pigs, nine eventually tested positive for ASF.

She said the city initially considered keeping the pigs that tested negative under quarantine and retesting them after the required 15-day observation period.

However, the city government decided instead to depopulate the entire remaining herd after the owner agreed, citing the risk that pigs initially testing negative could later become infected.

Authorities also considered the cost of maintaining the animals during quarantine and the possibility that the virus could spread if biosecurity measures failed.

Maribojoc said the city's rapid response enabled authorities to contain the outbreak within the 15 days prescribed under ASF control protocols.

The infected farm was located in a remote mountainous portion of Barangay Quiot and was the only hog-raising operation in that immediate area, reducing the risk of transmission.

"The case has already been controlled," she said.

Because the infected herd was immediately depopulated, the city has not declared a wider ASF outbreak despite classifying the area as a red zone under its monitoring system.

The DVMF has since intensified surveillance and remains on alert for reports of sick or dead pigs elsewhere in Cebu City.

Following the confirmation of the ASF cases, the city strengthened both external and internal border control measures to prevent the movement of pigs and pork products that could spread the virus.

Maribojoc said Cebu City had already enhanced inspections at ports after Mayor Archival signed Executive Order No. 86 before the latest detection.

After the Quiot case, the city expanded those measures by establishing inter-barangay movement controls, particularly around affected communities.

The DVMF has also intensified biosecurity awareness campaigns among hog raisers, stressing that ASF has neither an approved vaccine nor a cure, making prevention the primary defense.

The DVMF is still investigating how the virus reached the backyard farm.

Based on the agency's disease investigation, Maribojoc said one of the pigs had previously escaped and was reportedly caught by unidentified individuals.

Authorities are examining whether that incident may have introduced the virus into the farm.

Investigators are also looking into another possible link involving a neighboring barangay where pig deaths had earlier been reported.

According to Maribojoc, a resident from the area had purchased a pig from another affected farmer and later slaughtered it during a gathering in Barangay Kiot, prompting authorities to conduct further surveillance.

She stressed, however, that the investigation remains ongoing and no definitive source has yet been established.

The city has expanded surveillance to nearby barangays while laboratory testing continues in one adjacent village where authorities have yet to confirm whether ASF is present.

Maribojoc said officials have encountered some reluctance from hog raisers to cooperate with testing, prompting the DVMF to continue information drives and community visits.

Under existing ASF response protocols, authorities enforce movement restrictions within a 500-meter radius of confirmed cases.

If additional pigs test positive, the city may again carry out depopulation or "stamp-out" operations in accordance with national guidelines.

The DVMF urged hog raisers to immediately report sick or dying pigs to veterinary authorities, saying early detection remains critical to preventing wider transmission.

Maribojoc also encouraged livestock owners to register and insure their animals through the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation, noting that insured farmers may qualify for compensation should their livestock be culled because of disease.

In an advisory issued Friday, the DVMF said it had already implemented enhanced ASF surveillance, intensified biosecurity campaigns, inter-barangay border controls, and coordination with national agencies and local stakeholders to prevent further spread.

The department maintained that the containment measures successfully prevented ASF from spreading to other piggeries and barangays in Cebu City.(TGP)