Hog epidemic raging in Kalinga barangays

TABUK CITY, Kalinga– The city veterinary office here revealed at least 150 hogs were downed by an alleged hog epidemic that has been raging in six barangays over the past two weeks.

It was reported that many of the affected hogs, most of which were breeders, died.

Barangays hit by the hog epidemic include Bulanao Norte, San Juan, Laya East, Jose Anniban, and San Julian.

However, there are still unverified reports that the hog epidemic has also spread in other neighboring barangays.

Hog raising is one of the major sources of livelihood in the city, aside from planting rice and other major agricultural crops.

Experts said the outbreak and spread of the epidemic, which they suspect to be porcine reproductive-respiratory syndrome, was too sudden that it led to the uncontrolled situation over the past several days.

Before veterinarians came to know about the spread of the disease, some hog raisers had already butchered their sick hogs and exchanged the meat for palay with rice farmers.

The local government warned hog raisers not to butcher sick hogs, more so sell the meat in the market, to prevent the spread of the animal disease.

Veterinarians are advocating proper disposal of hogs that die of or are taken ill by the incurable disease as preventive measure to avert what could be a worsening of the hog disease.

According to them, the proper way to dispose sick animals is to either burn or burry them so that no one would eat the contaminated meat.

The pit where the sick animals will be buried should be deep and properly filled with soil to prevent the disease from being spread through the air.

The city veterinary office cited other preventive measures against the spread of the disease, which include control of traffic of people and animals into, within, and exiting the farm or piggery; hygiene and sanitation; cleaning and disinfection, proper waste disposal, and control of flies, insects and rodents.

Veterinarians sent blood samples of the animals to the Philippine Animal Health Center to ascertain the identity of the hog illness.

The local government tapped barangays to conduct a massive vaccination against the hog illness for healthy hogs as well as to distribute chemicals for the disinfection of piggeries.

Some of the symptoms of the hog disease are loss of appetite of the animals, fever, and bluish ears. – Dexter A. See