Vaccination of hogs vs. ASF to start next week

The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) will start the vaccination of hogs starting on Tuesday next week, August 20 as the African Swine Fever (ASF) continues to affect the livelihood of many hog raisers. 

According to Bernadette Reyes’ report in “24 Oras” on Thursday, the BAI will visit the province of Batangas on Friday, where eight towns have logged ASF cases, to lay down the objectives of the vaccination program. 

The vaccination is free and voluntary, the report also said. 

“Ile-lay down namin ang rules of engagement…hindi pwede na ‘oh ito, bakunahan niyo.’ We have to get the plan,” said Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretary for Swine and Poultry Dante Palabrica. 

(We will lay down the rules of engagement…we cannot just vaccinate. We have to get the plan.) 

“Ang kakausapin muna natin yung mga technical people sa Batangas. Hindi kaagad babakunahan ‘yun. Again, we have to be very careful,” he added.

(We will talk first with the technical people in Batangas. We will not just vaccinate. Again, we have to be very careful.) 

The vaccine will be first used on healthy hogs. It will not be injected on breeder hogs. 

The inoculated hogs will be monitored every 30 to 60 days, the report added. 

“Kapag nakita namin na nag-positive…hindi na namin babakunahan dahil naunahan na po tayo ng sakit at hindi po eepekto itong gamot na ito kapag mayroon pong nasa loob na sakit ang baboy,” said Palabrica. 

(If a hog tests positive… we will no longer immunize that hog because it’s already infected and the vaccine will be ineffective.) 

The DA said that a total of 600,000 vaccines against ASF will arrive in the country by September. 

According to the Davao Occidental’s Provincial Veterinarian Office, hogs in the province can now be bought at P1,000 per head due to the fear of hog raisers that their hogs will be included in the depopulation due to ASF. 

However, there will be no total depopulation as the government only implements the “Test and Destroy” strategy. 

“Sinasamantala nitong mga peddler, mga malalaking basket, o ‘yung mga kumprador ‘yung situation. Sila rin ang nagkakalat ng mga balita na may culling, mayroong may sakit, may namatay,” said Liza Mae Rapisura, Davao Occidental PVETO Provincial Regulatory Designate Officer. 

(The peddlers are taking advantage of the situation. They are also the same people who peddle news that there would be culling, there are infections, there are deaths.) 

Further, there will be additional inspection sites to prevent the spread of the ASF in other areas. 

The DA has already set up inspection sites in the following areas: Commonwealth Avenue, Mindanao Avenue, EDSA Balintawak and La Loma in Quezon City; Marulas and Malanday in Valenzuela; Calamba, Laguna; Sto. Tomas, Batangas; and Alfonso in Cavite. — Vince Angelo Ferreras/BAP, GMA Integrated News