Bataan under state of calamity due to ASF outbreak

The province of Bataan was placed under a state of calamity due to an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF), according to a Tuesday GTV Balitanghali report.

As of July 9, more than 300 hogs tested positive based on the data from the Bataan Provincial Veterinary Office.

Five towns in Bataan are under the red zone or have confirmed ASF cases, with over 25% of hog raisers affected.

With this, the province's calamity fund will be used to help the affected hog raisers.

The local government is now conducting surveillance testing and decontamination in the area.

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) formed a task force to examine if vaccines and drugs against the disease were safe.

However, the FDA said as of this week, only one vaccine had applied for a certificate of product registration (CPR). The CPR is needed for the vaccine to be legitimately sold and distributed. — Sherylin Untalan/DVM, GMA Integrated News