The Office of the City Veterinarian (OCVet) is continuously taking blood sampling from the hogs in five barangays declared as red zone due to Asian Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak.

City Veterinarian Dr. Mario Arriola said at least 30 blood samples are taken from each barangay and the samples are submitted to the laboratory for testing and confirmation.

Dr. Arriola told the press briefing last Monday that in order to contain the ASF outbreak in Mangusu, Pasonanca, Curuan, Bunguiao and Manicahan, they have established a three-layered preventive zone in each barangay, pursuant to City Ordinance No. 522, otherwise known as “The Transboundary Disease of Animal.”

Under the said ordinance, a one-kilometer radius Quarantine or Red Zone has been established in each barangay, within which a 0.5km-radius is declared as depopulation zone.

Outside the Quarantine Zone is the Blue or Surveillance Zone of seven-kilometer radius, beyond which is another layer identified as the Green Zone, where pigs are declared free from ASF or TDA.

Thus, the blood sampling is done regularly in the Red and Blue zone to get to the Green Zone, Arriola explained even as he added that getting to the Green Zone would take time.

Moreover, to achieve the Green Status, the OCVet has taken few other actions, such as the activation of the ASF TASK Force Technical Working Groups and ICS, establishment of checkpoints in quarantine zones, particularly at Pasonanca Watershed, Tagasilay and Sangali, Camp Pilar, Purok Uno, Sinoropan and Licomo, Zurveillance Zone and Control Zone.

Guidelines on the transport or movement of hogs, pork and pork by-products have also been set up, and distribution of relief assistance to affected individuals in Canucutan, Pasonanca.

The Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams or BHERTs have also been mobilized, and the surveillance and disease monitoring outside the quarantine zone.-(Vic Larato)