ASF surveillance in Ginatian widens

Local

THE search for where African Swine Fever (ASF) came from is widening in Ginatilan.

The Cebu Provincial Veterinary Office is probing possible links to Negros Oriental as it works to determine how ASF reached Ginatilan, where surveillance has now expanded across all 14 barangays.

Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Mary Rose Vincoy said Wednesday that the source of the infection remains undetermined as veterinary authorities continue efforts to establish the index case.

Vincoy said information gathered during the investigation pointed to possible interactions between some affected pigs and pigs coming from Negros Oriental.

Authorities also received information that some hog owners had attended a fiesta in Tanjay and brought cooked pork home.

She stressed, however, that these leads have not been established as the cause of the outbreak.

“We do not discount the other factors affecting the spread,” Vincoy said. She added that the investigation would continue until authorities establish where the infection originated.

The confirmed ASF cases are in Barangays Cagsing and Calabawan, which remain under quarantine.

As part of the containment effort, six checkpoints and choke points have been established across Ginatilan to monitor the movement of live hogs, pork, and pork by-products.

The checkpoints cover the national highway and possible mountain routes leading to neighboring towns. Authorities are checking transport documents and the origin of hogs

passing through the municipality.

The restrictions are intended to prevent the movement of potentially infected animals and pork products while veterinary teams determine whether the virus has spread beyond the two affected barangays.

Vincoy said surveillance is no longer limited to Cagsing and Calabawan. The provincial veterinary office is monitoring all 14 barangays in Ginatilan for possible cases or other indications of transmission.

Seven additional samples collected from households or hog raisers in Cagsing and Calabawan have tested negative, she said.

The negative results, however, do not end the surveillance effort.

Vincoy said five provincial veterinarians have been deployed in the area since Saturday to conduct field operations. Dr. Mesado, chief of the Animal Health Division, has also been stationed in Ginatilan to monitor activities and coordinate enforcement efforts with local authorities.

Under an executive order issued by Mayor Roy Vincent Singco, the movement, transport, purchase, and sale of pigs in and out of Cagsing and Calabawan are prohibited without the required clearance.

Slaughtering or butchering pigs in the two barangays is also prohibited, whether for household consumption or commercial purposes.

The municipality has likewise banned the entry of live swine and swine meat or pork products from Negros Oriental through its land and sea entry points.

Livestock trading and transfers have been suspended throughout Ginatilan, while authorities are also monitoring coastal routes with the assistance of the Philippine Coast Guard.

The restrictions will remain in place until lifted by the municipal mayor upon the recommendation of the Provincial Veterinary Office and the Department of Agriculture.

Vincoy said the priority is to contain the confirmed infections while determining whether other areas have been affected.

The investigation into the possible source and pathways of transmission remains ongoing.(TGP)