ASF resurfaces in Cagayan as case detected in Sanchez Mira
TUGUEGARAO CITY—The first case of African swine fever (ASF) this year in Cagayan province has been confirmed in Sanchez Mira town, the Provincial Veterinary Office reported on Wednesday.
In a statement, Dr. Noli Buen, Cagayan provincial veterinarian, said the virus was traced to four hogs owned by a raiser in Barangay Centro 2. Two of the animals died on Aug. 13.
Following the animals’ deaths, a veterinary technician coordinated with the Sanchez Mira agriculture office and collected blood samples, which later tested positive for ASF at the Regional Animal Diseases Diagnostic Laboratory in this city.
Entry ban
“The area (Sanchez Mira) has had no ASF cases since 2021, so we are still verifying where the virus came from. It is good that we had immediate coordination with the agriculture office and the Sanchez Mira local government,” Buen said.
In response, Sanchez Mira Mayor Abraham Bagasin issued an executive order prohibiting the entry of hog traders and technicians, as well as the transport of live and butchered pigs, including processed pork products like “longganisa” (native sausage), “tocino” (sweet cured pork) and ham.
The neighboring town of Pamplona also imposed restrictions, barring the entry of live pigs and processed pork from adjacent towns, including Sanchez Mira.
Pamplona Mayor Digna Antonio said the measure was aimed at preventing the spread of ASF-infected pigs and protecting local hog raisers.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ASF is a highly contagious viral disease of domestic and wild pigs, whose mortality rate could reach 100 percent.
“It is not a danger to human health, but it has devastating effects on pig populations and the farming economy,” the WHO said on its website.
