City Vet confirm possibility of ASF entry in Koronadal

August 17, 2020

The city veterinary office is seeing a high possibility of African Swine fever (ASF) entry in the City of Koronadal.

City Veterinarian Dr. Charlemagne Calo said, the virus disease is already in the region wherein Municipalities of Magpet, Arakan, and Pres. Roxas of Cotabato Province and Glan of Sarangani are presently contaminated.

He also said that because ASF is moving closer to the area, our place is also potentially infected if the community continues to ignore the problem and continues to smuggle processed pork products from the Davao region and other places that are also infected with the same virus.

The products include chorizo, longanisa, tocino, shanghai, siomai, and chicharron which is often loaded in private vehicles and inveterate online selling which makes it difficult to take hold.

In the meantime the city vet office had partnered with the City PNP and the Provincial Veterinary Office as part of an effort to help them resolve the problem.

They also actively disseminate information and maintain all of the quarantine checkpoints at Barangay Saravia, Alunan Avenue and Barangay Morales.

Calo is also appealing to all consumers to stop patronizing processed pork products which have no regulatory lot number from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and no proper documents from the Food and Drug Administration (DFA).

Also, the said official clarified that the issue on ASF is not only a concern by the hog raisers because it has a detrimental effect to the economy. He also warns that their office will burn and bury all the swine that are affected by the said disease.

Although the city bans the selling of pork products from ASF contaminated areas, these commodities can still be consumed
If they are made from ASF free areas and passed through the government agencies involved in the regulation.

The city was first affected by ASF early this year.

credit: https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2016-10-07/superbug-spread-to-norwegian-pigs-from-foreign-farm-workers