TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The City Veterinary Office (CVO) has beefed up quarantine inspections to ensure that no pigs and frozen meat products infected with the African swine fever would be sneaked into the province.
Cherylle Andowag, Quarantine Operations Chief, said the office is putting up additional quarantine checkpoints in all highway routes entering the city as part of the move.
The CVO, in partnership with Excell Feeds, has also invited backyard hog raisers in the city to attend a symposium that would help increase awareness on the ASF.
Participants were taught on the proper disposal of infected hogs through killing, burning and burying.
Andowag urged hog raisers not to practice swill feeding to prevent the spread of the virus.
Although the ASF strain has not reached Region 2 and the Cordillera at the moment, veterinary authorities have declared an ASF alert in the area.
Along with the assurance, Andowag encouraged hog raisers to help monitor any ASF-suspect case in their areas and immediately report it to authorities.
Although the ASF virus does not affect humans, eating of infected meat makes potential carriers of the virus, reason why eating of meat infected with ASF is prohibited, Andowag said. — PIA
