MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Thursday that it will roll out its government-controlled vaccination in non-red zones, or areas with no active cases of African swine fever (ASF), to fast track the implementation of the ASF vaccination program.
This came following the issuance of DA Administrative Circular (AC) No. 13 last November 19, amending the guidelines under AC Nos. 5 and 8, which intends to address low participation rate and gaps on the existing implementation protocol and help mitigate the impact of ASF in the country’s livestock sector.
“Dati kasi ang priority natin iyong mga may ASF na areas. Ngayon, kahit doon sa mga areas na walang ASF or doon sa areas na may ASF pero for the last 40 days ay negative na iyong (The priority before are areas with ASF. Now, it would be implemented even in areas with no ASF cases or in areas with ASF but for the last 40 days have negative) result,” DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said in a phone interview.
“Kung ma-vaccinate sila at kunwari lumipat iyong ASF doon, may protection na sila para di na lumawak pa iyong ASF (Once they are vaccinated and the ASF reaches their areas, they have protection so the ASF will no longer spread).”
Under AC 13, vaccination against ASF shall be permitted in barangays with no active cases of ASF for at least 40 days and/or with evidence of ASF negative surveillance in red (infected) and/or pink (buffer) zones.
“Ang isa pang amendment dito ay pinadali na iyong requirements para sa mga farm na gustong mag-participate (Another amendment is the easier requirements for farms wanting to participate),” de Mesa said.
Requirements for interested farms include an accomplished intent letter to participate; duly-signed veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR); DA or Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) registration or Animal Welfare Compliance Registration; Compliance with Farm Biosecurity Classification Level 2 for commercial and semi-commercial farms and level 1 for small-hold farms; farm vaccination program, if applicable, according to the AC No. 13.
The farm shall comply with the monitoring schedules and allow authorized personnel from BAI, DA Regional Field Offices and/or the Provincial/ City Veterinary Office to conduct an inspection and monitoring of the farm.
There is no minimum number of pigs required for vaccination and pigs do not need to be in the same age group for vaccination.
The ASF vaccine shall be administered only to weanling or grower pigs at least four weeks of age or older, and must be apparently healthy or tested negative for ASF before vaccination.
De Mesa, meanwhile, highlighted the positive effects of DA’s efforts to combat ASF as the number of red zones declined.
“Makita natin na effective iyong ginagawa natin na controlled activities, kagaya ng pagpapabakuna. Kahit paunti-unti nakakatulong. And then, iyong mga checkpoints natin atsaka iyong panawagan natin na (We can see that the controlled-activities are effective, like the vaccination. Even little by little, it’s helping. There’s also our checkpoints as well as our call for) biosecurity,” he said.
As of November 22, there are 369 barangays under red zones in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, and Soccsksargen.
“Dati umabot iyan ng more than 500, ngayon nasa 369 na lang iyong active na cases. So, ang laki na ng ibinaba. More than 200 barangays na iyong natanggal sa active cases. So, magandang balita ito (Before, it hit up to more than 500, now it’s just 369, those with active cases. So, that’s a huge drop. More than 200 barangays were already removed from active cases. So, that’s good news),” de Mesa said.
Earlier, the DA said it would boost its checkpoints in areas in Metro Manila and nearby provinces to combat the transport of ASF-infected hogs across Luzon and other parts of the country.
It is also gearing up to distribute 150, 000 doses of AVAC live vaccines, following the rollout completion of 10, 000 doses of emergency procured ones. (PNA)