Saturday, November 01, 2008 Hog cholera spreads to 2 Misamis Oriental towns By Annabelle L. Ricalde and Cong B. Corrales
THE hog cholera virus stroking Misamis Oriental has leaped to the eastern side of the province, leaving Cagayan de Oro's backyard pig farms unscathed, officials said Friday.
Dr. Alfonso Ramosa, Misamis Oriental chief veterinarian, said the hog cholera or swine fever has spread to the eastern part of the province in the towns of Opol and Laguindingan.
Ramosa said the provinces' field veterinarians reported Friday that several herds of swine in Opol and Laguidingan have contracted the pesti virus.
He said the local government officials of Opol and Laguindingan went to their office Friday to withdraw stocks of the anti-hog cholera vaccine.
Because the virus spread now seems to be unstoppable, Ramosa said he has urged the local government units of all 22 towns of Misamis Oriental to get the vaccine from the Provincial Veterinary Office.
"I am communicating with all the mayors to claim their vaccine before it is too late," Ramosa said.
He said some 1,200 vials of vaccine are available at the provincial Capitol of Misamis Oriental. Each vial, which costs P180, can inoculate ten pigs.
According to Bureau of Agricultural Statistics of the Department of Agriculture (BAS-DA), the province of Misamis Oriental has a swine population of 179,310 hogs as of January 1 this year.
Backyard raisers raise most of these hogs.
Hog cholera is fatal to swine and has no known cure while it has no harmful effects to other animals and humans.
Dr. Bemes G. Mondia, Regulatory Division Chief of the Department of Agriculture in Northern Mindanao, in his 2007 report on the disease, said the pesti virus could wipe out the swine population "in a matter of days."
"Once the virus hits a farm or piggery, the mortality ranges from 40-80 percent. Chances of recovery of infected hogs are very low and the rest will succumb to death," Mondia said in his report published on the DA Northern Mindanao website.
Spread
It is not known how the virus was able to bypass Cagayan de Oro, which also has a big number of backyard piggeries in its rural barangays.
Ramosa said the virus might have been carried in vehicles used to carry pigs or by persons who travel between backyard piggeries.
He said the disease can also be transmitted through contact with body secretions and excrement from infected animals or healthy pigs coming into contact with contaminated vehicles, pens, feed, or clothing. Birds, flies, and humans are also known to physically carry the virus from infected to healthy swine, Ramosa said.
The Misamis Oriental Provincial Veterinary Office has imposed strict isolation of backyard piggeries in Misamis Oriental following the outbreak.
The hog disease was first reported last July in the town of Magsaysay where it killed 60 pigs. The infectious virus spread to Gingoog City and six other municipalities, resulting to deaths in the local swine population.
The Misamis Oriental Provincial Veterinary Office said the pesti virus has killed at least 290 pigs as of Oct. 27.
This is the second major outbreak of hog cholera in the country. The disease is endemic to many parts of Asia.
The pesti virus almost ruined the backyard hog farming industry in Bulacan and Pampanga, top hog producers in Luzon, in August 2007.
In Cagayan de Oro, city veterinarians are making sure their anti-hog cholera vaccination is one step ahead of the spreading virus.
The City Veterinary Office appears to be winning the war on hog cholera based on the reports that the virus has leapfrogged to the eastern part of Misamis Oriental.
No outbreak has been monitored in Cagayan de Oro City.
Councilor Cesar Ian Acenas, chair of the City Council for agriculture and fisheries, said when they received the report of the outbreak last July, city veterinarians immediately concentrated their efforts on the hinterland barangays where most of the backyard hog farms are located.
Acenas said a total of 2,000 hogs were vaccinated in the upland barangays of the city. He said the vaccination was timely since reports of possible infection have begun to come in from backyard piggery owners in 50 barangays.
"More or less 50 barangays ang nag report but katong na dapatan sa vaccine last September wala na apektahan. Naunahan nato ang sakit," Acenas said.
Dr. Lucien Anthony Acac, Cagayan de Oro City chief veterinarian, said they will take no chances despite their earlier success in stopping the spread of the virus.
Acac said they need the cooperation of backyard hog raisers in their campaign.
He said hog raisers should immediately isolate pigs suspected to be infected with the virus to prevent the spread of the disease to the healthy herd.
He said backyard piggeries are likely to be hit by the disease since they do not have veterinarians available 24/7 unlike larger swine farms that employ veterinarians to monitor their stock.
Acac added they have concentrated their present campaign on the backyard piggeries in Barangays Bugo and Iponan, which are next to the towns of Tagoloan and Opol.
He said they are also giving priority to Barangays Tumpagon, San Simon, Dansolihon and Besigan.
Acac said an outbreak in these upland barangays will be disastrous since the pesti virus is waterborne.
