PHL accounts for almost 80% of ASF-related death of hogs worldwide —report

About 80 percent of the hogs that have died and culled in different countries due to the African Swine Fever (ASF) were recorded in the Philippines, according to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and reported on GMA News TV's State of the Nation with Jessica Soho.

In a report released by OIE, from August 30 to September 12, 2019 at least 9,997 ASF-related pig deaths were reported globally and 7,952 of these are from the Philippines.

Asia comprises the highest mortality rate in hogs due to the ASF, followed by Europe and Africa.

The report also indicated that the Philippines notified the first occurrence of the disease in the country on September 9, 2019.

Meanwhile, Department of Health (DOH) spokesperson Usec. Eric Domingo expressed misgivings on the accuracy of the figures.

"I'm not sure how accurate that is because we've only had African Swine Fever in the past two weeks lang naman," Domingo said in an ambush interview in Manila.

"Alam natin na sa China nangyayari na ito since last year and about 30 percent of their swine population has been affected by African Swine Fever and I think that's a lot more than what we have here," he added.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar, on the other hand, allayed the growing fear of the stakeholders.

"The DA and other partners from other government agencies and the private sector are doing their utmost to effectively manage, control, and contain the threat of ASF—to protect the industry and to ensure the health of consumers," Dar said. — Dona Magsino/BAP, GMA News