The Department of Agriculture (DA) will conduct rumor tracking to monitor ASF cases in the country due to some hog producers’ non-compliance with the disease reporting that leads to the spread of the disease.
With rumor tracking, individuals can text or call the Bureau of Animal Industry’s (BAI) rumor tracking hotline at 528-2203 and 09190692612 to report possible ASF cases and the agency will validate the report.
From 24 cases in the first week of September, it has spread to 40 barangays in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Leyte, Samar, Misamis Oriental, and Surigao del Sur.
Meanwhile, the DA has completed its ASF vaccine clinical trial in eight farms. The department also submitted the results to an American manufacturer to study the effect of the vaccine against the African swine fever.
“They are working on the analysis right now, hopefully towards the end of the month makuha once na dumating ‘yun. We will present it to the secretary and to the industry,” National Meat Inspection Service Executive Director Reildrin G. Morales said.
Report from Cleizl Pardilla/NGS-bny
