LDC funds DA-BAI hog cholera control program

The Livestock Development Council (LDC), has budgeted P5 million for the hog cholera control program in Mindanao spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).

Agriculture Secretary Luis P. Lorenzo Jr. led officials in launching the hog cholera control agenda in Cagayan de Oro City recently.

According to BAI Director Dr. Jose Q. Molina, hog cholera is an annual P2 billion menace in the country’s swine industry, Like foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), hog cholera is listed under List A of the Office International des Epizoties (OIE).

List A includes diseases that have the potential for very serious and rapid spread across national borders. Too, this group of livestock diseases poses grave socio-economic or public health consequence which may adversely affect international trade of animals and animal products.

The Philippine campaign against FMD has been successful in making Mindanao, the Visayas, Masbate and Palawan FMD-free; it has yet to get such freedom status for Luzon, according to Director Molina.

To date, countries that have gained hog-cholera-free status include the United States and European nations such as the United kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands and France.

Dr. Ronel Abila, officer-in-charge of the Animal Health Division, offers the following information: With one-million sow population producing two piglets each for a total of 20 million, the country’s hog production, it would seem, is in good health.

But around 25 percent or roughly five million head are lost to various diseases with hog cholera claiming 40 percent or two million head. With 95 percent mortality among piglets and 60 percent among adult sows, the huge P89-billion hog industry loses P2 billion to hog cholera in a year, explains Abila.

Some 100,000 doses (worth P900,000) of hog cholera vaccines are scheduled to be delivered to priority provinces in Mindanao. Delivered already and used in mass vaccination of backyard farms are some 20,000 doses. Total procured vaccines of 133,000 doses from 2002 fund had run up to P1.2 million.

The program will be pursued through the following strategies: (1) identification of the source of infection and confinement /destruction at site; (2) development of herd immunity through strategic vaccination; (3) prevention of movement of susceptible animals from infected to clean areas; and (4) mobilization of the public to support the eradication program.

Implementation will revolve around massive vaccination, active surveillance, protected zone expansion, strict quarantine measures, designation of infected areas defined from the results of the serological survey and determination of herd immunity level. The other considerations are legislative action from Congress and other ordinances from local governments, and monitoring of protected zones that have discontinued vaccination activities.