ASF-hit barangays down to 29

MANILA, Philippines — Only 29 barangays in the country have active cases of African swine fever (ASF), according to Agriculture Secretary William Dar.

In his report during President Duterte’s public address on Monday, Dar said no ASF case was recorded in 468 cities and towns in the past three months.

He attributed the low number of swine disease cases to the intensified implementation of programs, such as the Bantay ASF sa barangay as well as surveillance and monitoring systems.

Dar also cited the cooperation of local government units and the private sector.

Twelve regions, 50 provinces, 541 cities and municipalities and 2,836 barangays have been affected by ASF since it was detected in the country in 2019, according to the country’s report to the World Organization for Animal Health on July 5.

Dar said trials for a potential vaccine to prevent the spread of ASF is ongoing.

He said the Department of Agriculture would recommend a free rollout of ASF vaccines for the country’s entire hog population if tests turn out successful.

“Today, we only have about 9.7 million hogs in the country. I hope the government will shoulder the expenses in buying (vaccines) and in the vaccination process,” Dar said in an interview over the weekend.

He said initial results of the trials would be released by the end of the month. Two more phases of testing will be conducted within the year.