By Samuel P. Medenilla & Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco
THE Department of Health (DOH) on Monday said local pork is safe for human consumption after the Department of Agriculture (DA) confirmed that the dreaded African swine fever (ASF) killed hundreds of pigs in Bulacan and Rizal.
Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar told reporters in a press briefing that out of the 20 blood samples taken from infected hogs which were sent to the United Kingdom for testing, 14 came up positive for ASF.
Dar said the government is still verifying if the ASF strain which struck local hog farmers is similar to that, which decimated hog populations in Vietnam and China.
The DA conducted the tests after it received reports last month that an animal disease, which it did not initially identify, is killing hogs in Bulacan and Rizal.
Following the national laboratory’s release of results, the DA launched quarantine and depopulation measures in the two provinces. Dar said depopulation resulted in the death of 7,400 pigs.
As of September 9, Dar said the DA has not received reports of additional hog deaths in Bulacan and Rizal.
However, the agriculture chief said quarantine and monitoring protocols will remain in place for now to protect hog farms in other parts of the country.
Dar said the government extended cash and livelihood assistance to affected hog raisers. “[Government] gave a cash assistance of P3,000 per head [of pig].”
DOH advice
The DOH urged the public to cook pork properly and to avoid eating half-cooked meat.
“We want to allay the fears of the public by saying, as long as pork is bought from reliable sources and is cooked thoroughly, pork is safe to eat,” Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said.
Duque also said the public should make sure that the pork has been checked by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), a regulatory agency under the DA.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said the ASF is a highly-contagious hemorrhagic hog disease caused by the DNA virus of the Asfarviridae family. The virus causes loss of appetite, high fever, hemorrhages and death among pigs in 2 to 10 days. “ASF is not a threat to human health,” Duque stressed, as he encouraged the public to support measures rolled out by the DA.
DA’s competence
Malacañang also allayed fears over the consumption of pork products following the DA’s confirmation that it was ASF that struck hog farms in Bulacan and Rizal.
“I think there is no need to worry considering that DA secretary has not cautioned us to avoid [pork]. There is no directive yet,” said Presidential Spokesman and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador S. Panelo in a Palace briefing.
The Palace also expressed confidence that the agriculture secretary will be able to handle the situation “very well” especially since the confirmation of ASF comes a few months before the Christmas season.
“Just like any other sudden foreign disease that affects the swine industry, the DA will undertake the measures necessary to secure the public for the safety. That’s SOP [standard operating procedure],” he said.
“As I said, the DA will take care of that. I am sure the DA secretary is competent enough to handle the problem,” he added.
With a report by Bernadette D. Nicolas
Image credits: Nonoy Lacza