Hog cholera remains in some Luzon areas, gov’t says

Cholera continues to plague hog farms in some areas in Luzon, three months after the highly infectious viral disease broke out, radio dzBB reported on Monday, quoting an official from the National Meat Inspection Commission (NMIC). NMIC officer-in-charge Jane Bacayo reportedly cited recent reports from their monitoring operations indicating that hog cholera was still up in central Luzon. DzBB said that while Bacayo did not mention which provinces still have hog cholera, he reportedly said the commission continues to check farms and hog operators in coordination with the Bureau of Animal Industry. Last July, the NMIS declared a “red alert" on the hog cholera virus in five regions in Luzon, following the infection of several hogs in Bulacan province. The “red alert" covered Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, central and southern Luzon, Bicol, and Metro Manila. With the red alert, the NMIC ordered surveillance and inspection of hog farms and slaughterhouses in the provinces and in Metro Manila. The agency’s regulatory division also ordered its personnel to keep watch over unauthorized slaughterhouses operating in Luzon. Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said he ordered the setting up of “pork checkpoints" to prevent the delivery of tainted meat to markets. - GMANews.TV