The Bohol Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) has issued an advisory for supermarkets and other stores to remove from their shelves pork products from China and several other countries which have been affected by the African swine fever (ASF).
Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Bing Lapiz pinpointed Ma Ling, a popular canned luncheon meat from China, as among those to be avoided by the public and to be removed from store shelves.
Pork meat products from other countries including Vietnam, Zambia, South Africa, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Mongolia, Moldova, and Belgium may also be contaminated but only those from China, particularly Ma Ling, have a significant market in Bohol and the rest of the country.
“So far sa atong mga market, in relation sa mga na-igo sa ASF, way lain product sa atoang market na gikan sa affected countries gawas sa China,” said Lapiz during an interview over station dyRD’s Inyong Alagad program on Friday.
According to Lapiz, the provincial and Tagbilaran City veterinary offices have conducted rounds at supermarkets in the city asking management to withdraw the said products from their display shelves.
“Together sa quarantine office nanganha na mi sa mga department store together sa city vet diha na toy among mga initial na report na gigama unya kasagaran karon gipang withdraw naman pud, unya ang city vet ingon na iya na pud balikon ron mga supermarket kay kung naa pay nahibilin iyang ipa-withdraw,” she said.
Those which may be contaminated with the virus are products manufactured starting August, 2018.
Lapiz also called on resort and hotel operators to monitor their guests who may have brought in pork meat products from the affected countries.
However, she said that ASF has no significant human health threat but it could cause major economic loss in the swine industry.
“Ang ASF dili siya makatakod og tawo pero highly contagious siya sa mga animals. Ang peligro kung pananglitan di nimo mahurot ang imong salin imong ilaw’g sa sa baboy ana siya posibli na naay epekto—economic impact ana niya na madaot arong swine indsury,” she added.
The Food and Drug Administration earlier noted that the disease is a “highly contagious” hemorrhagic disease of pigs and other swine.
It causes fever, loss of appetite, hemorrhages in the skin and internal organs, and even death to affected animals. (AD)