Swine flu virus scare hits Isabela’s premier city

SANTIAGO CITY, Philippines – Meat vendors from this premier northern city have started feeling the adverse effects brought about by a virus scare that has already affected hundreds of lives and economies of some nations across the globe. Officials of an association of meat vendors from Santiago City have complained that consumers were avoiding buying pork products due to the virus scare. Ding Barredo, a meat stall owner said: “Our sales are slow these days due to the dreadful news about the swine flu virus." What used to be a day of routine business when raw meat products at the market were already gone even only halfway through the day, sellers lamented that pork stocks could rot since they go home with many of their commodities still unsold. This was due to wary consumers who said that they have decided to forego buying meat until the local government can assure the public that the city is safe from the dreaded virus. Commonly known as swine flu, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that a new strain at the onset of this year’s epidemic in Mexico was discovered and labeled as Influenza A, or subtype H1N1. This subtype is endemic in pigs. But despite the scale of the alert, WHO officials noted that the majority of people infected with the virus have made a full recovery without need of medical attention or antiviral drugs. Latest unofficial reports from international media say that 13 countries are so far affected, with Mexico tallying the highest number of suspected infections at 2, 498 and 168 deaths followed by the United States with 245 suspected infections and 1 death. Media reports also show that other countries already affected were Canada, Spain, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Germany, Costa Rica, Israel, Switzerland, Austria, Ireland and The Netherlands. These countries were said to have an aggregate total of 517 laboratory confirmed cases and more than 4,000 suspected cases as of May 1. Regional officials of the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) have, however, allayed the fears of residents saying that Cagayan Valley is still safe from the virus. “We are continuously monitoring cold storage facilities and local sources of pork meat across the region, to ensure that the virus can be contained if ever it will be found in our stocks," said one personnel from NMIS. On the other hand, the Santiago City Veterinary Office (CVO) assured consumers that pork meats delivered in the city are safe since they are double checking documents of suppliers from other provinces to ensure that these are all NMIS approved. Earlier, health officials have re-assured the public that swine flu virus cannot be contracted by eating pork especially if it is properly cooked, but it can be avoided through human to human transmissions by proper hygiene, like washing hands with soap or sanitizer after being out in the public. Animal farm workers were also urged to abstain from visiting other animal farms and to clean up before mingling with other people. - Floro Taguinod, GMANews.TV