4 more pig ebola cases confirmed

Four more pig farm workers have tested positive for the Ebola Reston Virus (ERV), health officials revealed yesterday.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said four were found positive out of 77 individuals suspected of being exposed to the virus.

“The four new cases bring the total number of ERV antibody-positive humans to five as of Jan. 30,” Duque told a news conference yesterday. 

Duque, however, assured the public there is no cause for alarm since the ERV poses no threat to human health.

Duque said the total of five individuals found positive for the virus were workers of pig farms in Bulacan, Pangasinan, and Valenzuela City, while another worker was traced to a slaughterhouse in Pangasinan.

He said all of them were males and have not been sick for the past 12 months.

Based on initial findings, the five individuals got exposed by directly handling infected pigs.

Duque said the five did not wear any personal protective gear when handling the infected pigs.

He said the presence of ERV antibodies in the five individuals showed they have effectively mounted a protective defense against the virus.

“Like the first positive human, the four others are also healthy and have not been seriously ill in the previous 12 months,” Duque pointed out.

A World Health Organization-led UN team said all the men — who are aged between 22 and 52 — are well and no longer carry the virus after being able to expel it from their systems.

Julie Hall, a member of the UN investigating team, told a news conference that it was a “low-risk situation and an important situation for animal and human health.”

Health authorities traced the first case of ERV to a backyard farmer who had direct contact with sick pigs.

Duque said the possibility of pig-to-human transmission could not be ruled out at this time.

Hall said she agreed with an earlier statement by Duque that a swine-to-human transmission of the virus “cannot be dismissed.”

“There are still a lot of unanswered questions about this particular virus,” Hall said.

Duque, however, maintained the risk of the virus spreading from hogs to humans is still low.

“This is a low risk situation to human health provided that standard hygiene procedures and safety protocols in animal handling and food preparation are observed.”

International health experts supported the report of the Philippine government that an breakout of Ebola Reston virus in the country is unlikely.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said the Philippines remained at a low risk of an Ebola epidemic as long as precautionary measures are implemented.

To avert the possible spread of the virus, Duque said the Philippine government is closely working with the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and WHO to determine the most likely source of the ERV and how it spreads in affected farms.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has maintained the quarantine on the farms in Bulacan and Pangasinan and the export ban of pork.

Duque further revealed that 1,039 pig blood samples collected by the expert mission yielded negative results on antigen tests. 

“The CDC is still doing the tests on pig tissue samples and hopefully the results will be available soon,” Duque said, while noting that there is no current unusual pig illness detected in the two farms.

The DA is also investigating reports of hog cholera and salmonella in pigs in Sta. Maria, Davao del Sur, and hog cholera and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) in pigs in Sta. Rita, Samar.

Pig tissue samples were collected and will be tested for other pig pathogens, including the ERV.

Duque urged the public to immediately report any “unusual occurrences of sick or dying pigs” to local veterinary or agriculture authorities.

He said the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) is set to conduct a Luzon-wide surveillance and improve vaccine coverage against common pig diseases with high morbidity and mortality to reduce outbreaks in the swine population.

DA will also enhance bio-security measures to prevent and contain any future outbreaks as the government’s second line of defense to the spread of the virus.

The DA and the Department of Health further emphasized the need for all animal handlers in commercial and backyard farms to practice safe farming and biosecurity measures.  

The Occupational Safety and Health Center of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will also come up with guidelines to ensure the occupational safety of all animal handlers as well as other recommendations on the proper use of personal protective equipment.

Duque said the government is working to prevent the entry of “double dead” meat into the market.

BAI has already enhanced their pig movement and shipment control, and increased strategically located quarantine checkpoints to prevent transport of sick pigs, he said. 

The National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) has also tightened its control and is working closely with local governments to curb this unsafe practice.

“The public should be wary of pork sold at cheaper prices and should only buy from reputable sources and look for the NMIS seal,” Duque stressed.

Duque reminded the public to cook meat thoroughly and avoid consumption of raw or undercooked meat.