By Stephanie Sevillano | Philippine News Agency
The Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Animal Industry (DA-BAI) on Friday rolled out the first government-controlled vaccination against African swine fever (ASF) in Lobo, Batangas, five years after the onset of ASF outbreak in the Philippines in 2019.
In an interview, DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said that starting the rollout of the 10,000 doses of emergency-procured ASF AVAC live vaccines is a realization of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s statement during his third State of the Nation Address (SONA).
“Naisakatuparan natin ngayon ang isa sa mga pangako ng ating Pangulo na magsisimula immediately iyong pagpapabakuna,” he said, following the initial vaccination of 41 hogs in two backyard farms in Barangay Malapad na Parang.
“Ito iyong hudyat at sunod-sunod na ito from Lobo, it will cover the whole of Batangas. At inaasahan natin ’yong ibang lugar, lalo na ’yong mga maraming cases ngayon ay susunod na rin,” de Mesa said.
Lobo was one of the first towns in Batangas that declared a state of calamity due to ASF resurgence earlier this month.
As of August 21, the BAI said 66 villages in Batangas have been designated red zones, or those with active ASF cases.
Vicente Manalo, a hog raiser in Lobo, was optimistic as his growers got the ASF live vaccines.
“Importante po dahil, unang-una po sa lahat, safe din iyong baboy ko. Tapos, iyong pati iyong mga kukuha, alam na safe din. Kaysa hindi po natin alam kung may tama ba o wala,” he said.
Strict monitoring
DA Assistant Secretary for Swine and Poultry Constante Palabrica, meanwhile, assured strict monitoring among newly vaccinated hogs.
“On the 14th day ay kukunan ng dugo at i-analyze kung ito ay nag-produce ng antibody. And then, regularly, itse-check natin ang kondisyon ng mga baboy,” he said.
Palabrica said this will help vaccinated growers and fatteners fight the ASF.
“Pagkanabakunahan, magpu-produce ng antibody iyong mga baboy. Kapag pumasok muli dito sa ganitong farm, iyong virus, ay may panlaban na ang baboy laban sa ASF,” he said.
Besides areas in Lobo, de Mesa said the DA-BAI will extend its validation procedures to include all qualified farms in ring areas of Lobo, other towns in Batangas, and eventually red zones in the Calabarzon region.
The DA reiterated that pigs that will be vaccinated must be healthy, negative for ASF, at least four weeks or older, of the same age group within a farm, and with a minimum of 50 pigs per farm or cluster.
To date, 458 villages in 15 regions are now under red zones, with the highest number of affected barangays reported in Batangas, North Cotabato with 87, Occidental Mindoro with 69, and Quezon province with 47.