DAVAO CITY – The African Swine Fever (ASF) made a public comeback and breached through Mindanao’s borders, hitting a swine farm in remote Davao Occidental.
The Department of Agriculture confirmed on Friday the infection and the Office of Civil Defense said the contamination of swine farms in the province was the first case of ASF in the entire Mindanao.
Don Marcelino town Mayor Michael Maruya posted on his Facebook account on Friday that he has ordered a “24/7 temporary lockdown of selling and buying pigs following the mortality of about 1,000 heads of swine in eight barangays, namely Linadasan, North Lamidan, South Lamidan, Calian, Mabuhay, Lawa, Nueva Villa and Baluntaya”.
He said the swine deaths have been continuing but did not say when the infection started.
The temporary lockdown was recommended by DA-XI and the Provincial Veterinarian Office as a measure to control the spread of the ASF and to ensure the safety of consumers of pork meat products in Don Marcelino.
Also on Friday, OCD Regional Director Liza Mazo activated the Regional Animal Disease Task Force and directed nine national government agencies and the disaster risk-reduction and management offices of the six provinces and one city of the Davao Region to coordinate with the DA all information and investigation.
The OCD also ordered the Provincial Police, barangay captains and other concerned offices to ensure the establishment of a “24/7 animal quarantine checkpoints” in various entry points of Don Marcelino municipality.
The residents were also informed of the situation and were asked to cooperate.