DA preps for emergency purchase of ASF vaccines amid Batangas outbreak

MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) said Wednesday it is preparing to conduct an emergency procurement of African swine fever (ASF) vaccines amid the outbreak in Batangas.

The Batangas Provincial Veterinary Office reported ASF cases in Lobo, Lian, Rosario, Calatagan, and Lipa City.

"The local government units may need to declare a state of emergency in these Batangas municipalities to enable the DA to respond swiftly to the situation and release funds for the urgent purchase of vaccines," Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement.

The emergency procurement may shorten the timeline by two weeks, with at least 10,000 doses eyed, according to the DA.

Laurel also assured coordination with the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to implement more stringent biosecurity measures, particularly in establishing checkpoints in the province, to prevent the further spread of the virus.

The DA will also provide "industrial lime" to affected hog raisers to treat areas with buried swine, he added.

Earlier, the department noted that the rainy season has contributed to the resurgence of ASF cases in the province, alongside the movement of travelers.

As of July 26, the Bureau of Animal Industry reported 150 barangays in 45 towns nationwide under red zones or those with active ASF cases.

These include the 10 affected barangays in Lobo, two in Lian, and one in Lipa City in Batangas.

A total of 476 cities and municipalities in the country have been upgraded to pink zones or buffer areas adjacent to infected zones.

The DA plans to launch the government-controlled vaccinations in red and pink zones using Vietnam's AVAC live vaccines in the third quarter of the year.

It has allocated P350 million to procure 600,000 doses of ASF vaccines. (PNA)