CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- There is no swine influenza outbreak in the City of San Fernando contrary to reports on social media that pork products here have been infected by the respiratory disease of hogs.
This was confirmed by City Agriculture and Veterinary Office (CAVO) chief Cristina Sangumay who said that all meat products here are safe to consume.
CAVO cited a report released by the Department of Agriculture- Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) in the previous week which said that netizens’ claims that “it’s not safe to eat pork, due to swine influenza, and that “around 40 pigs have been dying every day due to the said disease,” are not factual.
Sangumay assured that all commercial farms and backyards, even in barangays, undergo monitoring, to ensure that all animals are healthy.
“We conduct regular and stringent monitoring and evaluation of commercial farms at backyards in San Fernando. We also visit our hog raisers in the city during our veterinary extension service where we give antibiotics, vaccines and vitamins to ensure the health of their hogs,” she said.
She added that aside from the monitoring and evaluation, the city government also extends free regular medical services for all animals in the city to avoid the occurrence and spread of any disease.
Sangumay stressed that registered meat establishments in the city also undergo inspection to ensure that Fernandinos to continuously buy safe meat products.
“Our advice to Fernandinos is to buy meat from registered vendors because they sell safe products. Let also be careful and not readily believe in what is on social media that is not from proper authorities to avoid confusion,” Sangumay said. (JTD)