No additional African swine fever (ASF) cases have been detected in Ginatilan after two weeks of expanded surveillance, with all 60 samples collected from 12 barangays outside the initial outbreak areas testing negative for the virus.
Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Mary Rose Vincoy said the samples were collected from pigs in communities not covered by the initial investigation to determine whether the disease had spread beyond the two affected barangays.
The Department of Agriculture’s Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory examined the samples using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), a laboratory method for detecting the virus.
“Good to note na after getting all of the samples, a total of 60 samples from the rest of the barangays, negative siya tanan,” Vincoy said.
The results follow the confirmation of ASF in Barangays Cagsing and Calabawan in September, prompting the Cebu Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) and the municipal government to tighten restrictions on the movement of hogs and pork products.
Authorities placed the two barangays under quarantine and established checkpoints along the highway and other possible routes to monitor the transport of pigs and related products. They also intensified disinfection and other biosecurity measures.
The PVO expanded surveillance to the municipality’s remaining barangays to check for possible secondary transmission and monitor backyard-raised pigs and other hog populations outside the original outbreak areas.
Vincoy said the two-week monitoring period yielded no additional or suspected ASF cases. Authorities also received no reports of further swine deaths linked to suspected infections during the period, she added.
Following the expanded surveillance, the PVO withdrew its field teams from the area. However, the negative test results do not establish that the entire municipality is free of ASF, and continued monitoring remains necessary.
*Origin still under investigation*
Authorities have yet to establish the source of the initial infections. Vincoy previously said investigators were looking into information that some affected pigs may have come into contact with animals from Negros Oriental, including reports involving pigs acquired in Tanjay City.
“There are information that surfaced. But I cannot say that this is the real cause,” Vincoy said in an earlier interview, stressing that the origin of the infection had not been confirmed.
The initial outbreak was confirmed after three of four samples collected in Ginatilan tested positive for ASF DNA. A fifth sample from neighboring Malabuyoc tested negative, prompting disease-tracing activities near the municipal boundary.
The PVO has been coordinating with local officials to contain the outbreak and prevent the virus from spreading to other communities. Measures included restricting the movement of hogs, pork and pork by-products from the quarantined barangays.
Vincoy urged local government units to sustain preventive measures throughout October, emphasizing the need to monitor animal health and control the movement of potentially infected livestock and products.
Local meat inspectors and municipal agriculture officers are also monitoring backyard slaughtering and meat distribution in their respective areas to help detect possible infections and limit transmission.
The PVO urged local authorities and hog raisers to report unusual pig deaths or suspected infections immediately, stressing that early reporting and compliance with quarantine and biosecurity protocols are crucial to protecting Cebu’s hog industry.
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