ILOILO – The municipality of Dueñas in the 4th District logged an African Swine Fever (ASF) infection.
“We now have 15 municipalities (affected by ASF). Nagdugang ang municipality sang Dueñas, may ara sila nga isa ka kaso sa Barangay Ponong Grande,” said Dr. Darel Tabuada, Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) head, yesterday.
But with only one barangay affected, Dueñas will be deemed a pink zone, together with Zarraga, Badiangan and Barotac Viejo towns.
Designating a “pink (buffer) zone” aims to prevent and manage spillover of cases from the red (infected) zone through risk mitigation measures such as biosecurity and surveillance.
To prevent the spread of ASF in other barangays under pink zones, Tabuada met with concerned municipal agriculture officers (MAOs) to continuously conduct strict surveillance of hogs in neighboring barangays.
Meanwhile, the 11 towns declared as red zones are Oton, San Miguel, Alimodian, Santa Barbara, Leganes, Mina, New Lucena, Dumangas, Banate, Janiuay, and Barotac Nuevo.
In a red zone, “the movement of live pigs, pork, pork products (fresh/frozen pork products and uncooked processed pork products, except cooked and canned processed pork products), and swine genetic materials in and out of the said municipality shall be prohibited.”
Here are the following containment measures being implemented in 11 towns under the red zone:
* Intensified monitoring, surveillance, investigation, and test-and-destroy operations within the municipality by the local ASF task forces (LATFs)
* Movement of live pigs, pork, pork products (fresh/frozen pork products and uncooked processed pork products, except cooked and canned processed pork products), and swine genetic materials from the quarantine area (QA) – area up to one kilometer from the infected area (IP), to outside quarantine area (OQA) – area outside the one kilometer radius from the IP, up to the administrative boundary of the city/municipality classified as red (infected) zone, shall be prohibited
* Public/delivery transport shall not carry/deliver live pigs, pork, pork products (fresh/frozen pork products and uncooked processed pork products, except cooked and canned processed pork products), and swine genetic materials from and into the municipalities of Oton, San Miguel, Leganes, New Lucena, Alimodian, Santa Barbara, Mina, Barotac Nuevo, Dumangas, Banate, and Janiua
* Concerned LATFs shall conduct monitoring of transport terminals for enforcement of this provision
Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. also ordered ASF control points along the borders of the red zone and pink (buffer) zones in Barangay Tina, Badiangan; Barangay Abangay, Pototan; Barangay Poblacion, Dingle; Barangay Natividad, Barotac Viejo; Barangay Garita, San Enrique; Barangay Bagumbayan Ilaya, Alimodian; Barangay Consolacion, San Miguel; Barangay Talanghauan, Sta. Barbara; Barangay Jelicuon Oeste, New Lucena; Barangay Bantay, Sta. Barbara; Barangay Malublub, Badiangan; Barangay Abangay, Janiuay; Barangay Damires, Janiuay; Barangay Bagongbong, Barotac Nuevo; Barangay Napnapan, Tigbauan; Barangay Baroc, Tigbauan; and Barangay Agboy Sur, Leon.
The above-identified ASF control points shall be operated alternately by the adjacent red and pink zone municipalities/barangays every seven days. The province shall continue to provide financial assistance to red zone and pink zone ASF control points./PN
