PHILIPPINES-PROBLEMS IN PIG INDUSTRY.
Mayor Celso Lobregat declared so, citing that tests yielded negative of the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), Pseudo Rabies Virus (PRV) and Swine Influenza Virus (SIV-H1N1).
The test results that arrived this week were certified by the Philippine Animal Center of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), which also conducted the tests on serum samples from dead swines sent by the Office of the City Veterinarian here.
The samples were taken from a dozen pigs that died early this month in barangay Vitali, 72 kilometers east of this city, reports BusinessMirror. The situation caused undue alarm that it was an outbreak of the Ebola Reston virus.
Mayor Lobregat disclosed that five of the eight samples sent tested positive for the Classical Swine Fever, or hog cholera, a highly contagious disease of pigs that usually results in the death of the animal 15 days after it is infected.
He enjoined hog raisers to practice health management and husbandry to prevent the spread of hog cholera that could have a very bad impact on the swine industry.
He told hog raisers to submit their pigs to regular vaccinations and deworming, and keep pigpens and its surroundings cool, dry and clean. He also asked them to feed pigs with unspoiled food and clean water, and report to the city veterinarian any health problem of their animals.
Similarly, the mayor warned hog raisers not to slaughter and sell sick swine and other livestock, as this may harm the consumers and expose them to diseases.
