Thursday, January 08, 2009Print This Page
Vet Sounds Warning Against Ebola Reston Virus
THE PHILIPPINES - The Office of the City Veterinarian in Zambo City recently warned the public against the so-called Ebola Reston strain virus among pigs.



As a precautionary measure, the Office of the City Veterinarian is presently coordinating with leading government agencies such as the Department of Agriculture, Department of Health, Office of the City Agriculturist, City Health Office and other offices for updates.

To date, there is still no report of any pig infected with the strain virus.

Meanwhile, the public is advised that it is safe to eat pork provided the meat is duly certified, properly handled and thoroughly cooked. Bringing the food to a boiling point to make sure that the core of the meat reaches 70°C will kill the virus.

For meat and poultry, the public is advised to make sure that the juices are clear, not pink.

Food handlers and the public are likewise advised to follow the key rules of food safety as provided by the WHO:

Keep clean
Separate raw and cooked food
Cook thoroughly
Keep food at safe temperature
Use safe water and select fresh food
The City Mayor's Office also advised the consumers to buy meat only from meat registered and licensed by the city government and meat having inspected and accompanied by meat inspection certificate by the meat inspectors.

Hog farmers and animal caretakers are also encouraged to report unusual sickness and deaths among pigs to the Office of the City Veterinarian.

"The Office regards this with great importance since this is an animal health issue," the mayor added.

Friday, January 09, 2009Print This Page
Government Team Helping Out with Reston Study
THE PHILIPPINES - The government has formed a local team to assist a visiting group of international human and animal health experts carry out a 10-day epidemiological investigation into the re-emergence of the Ebola Reston virus that was detected in a few hogs in two farms in Bulacan and Pangasinan late last year, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said yesterday.



Bureau of Animal Industry Director Davinio Catbagan, who heads the DA's Crisis Management Team (CMT) on the Ebola Reston virus, said the local counterpart team comprise BAI Assistant Director Victor Atienza, Dr Samuel Animas of the BAI-Animal Health Division; and BAI officials Dr Emelinda Lopez, Dr Laarni Cabantac, Dr Rubina Cresencio, Dr Ma Gracia Flores, Dr Magdalena Cruz, Dr Rachel Azul, Dr Reildrin Morales and Marites Gealone.

Atienza is also the assistant manager of the CMT, while Animas heads the Department's Crisis Management Center on the Ebola Reston virus, which has proven to be not harmful to humans.

A team from the Department of Health (DOH) completes the local counterpart group that will assist the international experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) or World Animal Health Organization in conducting the epidemiological study aimed at finding out the extent and possible source of the Reston virus and of other virulent swine diseases such as the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) and Circovirus.

The 15-man team of international experts, which is led by Juan Lubroth of the FAO, includes: Dr Carolyn Benigno, Veterinary Epidemiologist, Dr Kate Glynn, Risk Assessment Specialist (OIE), Dr William White, FAO/seconded from USDA), Mr Mario Musa, International Consultant (Crisis Communication), Ms Elizabeth Christy, International Consultant (Operations) Dr Romeo Gundran, National Consultant (Veterinary Epidemiology), Dr Cesar Ballesteros, National Consultant (Pig Production) and from WHO: Dr Soe Hyunt, Dr Julie Hall, Tony Hazzard, Caroline-Anne Coulombe, Boris Paulin, Pierre Formenty, Peter Ben Embarek.

As this developed, DA Assistant Secretary Salvador Salacup noted that the joint DA-DOH move last 10 December to inform the public of the resurfacing of the Reston virus has had no adverse impact on the consumption of pork during the last holiday season, as he noted that demand for the product remained high in that period.

"There were initial concerns raised by the hog industry on the effect of reports about the discovery of the Ebola Reston virus in swine. But contrary to that, a survey of the Social Weather Stations last 22 December showed that the most demanded agricultural wage product before Christmas was pork," Salacup said.

He noted that prices of pork even rose to P160-P170 a kilo due to high demand despite the government's official disclosure about the Reston virus's detection in a few hogs in one farm in Bulacan and another one in Pangasinan.

"The re-emergence of the Reston virus in hogs has had no impact insofar as the supply and consumption levels of pork are concerned," Salacup said.

The Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) reported that from 12-23December, or right after the DA and the DOH disclosed the re-emergence of the Reston virus, the prices of pork even shot up by P10 a kilo due to the increased demand for the commodity, which is a staple in the Noche Buena fare of Filipino families.

Salacup said the government had correctly handled the Reston case, with international health experts led by Dr Soe Nyunt-U, the WHO country representative to the Philippines, speaking earlier on behalf of his organization, FAO and the OIE, citing the DA and DOH for taking "appropriate action" in dealing with this animal health issue.

Earlier, DA Secretary Arthur Yap welcomed the arrival of the team of international animal and human health experts, saying the exhaustive tests it will carry out would help the government craft a national surveillance plan along with prevention and control programs to get rid of the Reston virus.

He noted that following the government's disclosure of this virus' return in December last year, the DA and BAI promptly asked the international health community for assistance in conducting a risk assessment, in testing the local swine population for the presence of the Reston virus and in drawing up diagnostics and disease prevention plans to prevent the spread of the infection.

Both Yap and Duque thanked the members of the international team last Wednesday and assured them of the government's full cooperation in the conduct of the study.

Lubroth, the mission's team leader, said that since learning about the existence of the virus in pigs in the Philippines,"FAO, OIE and WHO have been fully committed to provide technical assistance to the Government of the Philippines."

These experts arrived in Manila on 6 January and immediately started their mission, with the field investigation component beginning the following day, 7 January. Lubroth said the mission will last 10 days with preliminary results expected "in a few weeks at the earliest."

Catbagan noted that even before the arrival of the team of experts, the BAI already collected 110 blood samples from swine in a Reston-infected farm in Bulacan and another 55 samples from the affected farm in Pangasinan.

These samples, which were all collected last 27 December, were sent for testing to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), which had received ELISA kits for antigen and detection from the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control. The kits that were sent by the CDC are good for 8,000 blood samples.

ELISA stands for Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay, which is a biochemical technique to detect the presence of an antibody or antigen in a blood sample.

This total of 165 samples was on top of the 129 samples earlier sent to the RITM, all which tested negative for this virus, which has proven to be not harmful to humans.

Catbagan said that alongside helping the DA craft a national surveillance and disease prevention plan, the results of the experts' study would help the Department assess the public health risks of the Reston virus; evaluate its laboratory capabilities and needs; and work on its public awareness and risk communications campaigns.

He said that while the WHO has classified the Reston case as a "predominantly animal health issue," the DA would still want to determine how the virus, which infected monkeys about a decade ago, has now jumped to hogs.

He recalled that after a series of tests undertaken by the RITM to prevent the spread of the virus and determine the extent of the infection, it found out that there were no sick pigs and no sign of illness even in the animal caretakers where the Ebola Reston was detected.

   
Sunday, January 11, 2009
 
 
RP’s Ebola-virus ‘brand’ sets
off alarm bells worldwide
 
By Paul M. Icamina, Special Reports Editor
 
THE discovery is disturbing: pork is one of the world’s most popular meats—though not among Muslims and Jews—and swine infected with a virus makes for a potentially alarming food on the table.

Pork is a major human food and the Ebola-Reston virus detected in Philippine swine prompted international food, animal and health experts to see for themselves the situation here.

The Ebola-Reston virus— detected in October in pigs from two commercial farms in Bulacan and Pangasinan— is not harmful to humans but it has shown in an earlier outbreak 20 years ago to be fatal to monkeys, a distant human cousin.

This is the first time the virus has jumped species and the first time ever anywhere in the world that it has been detected in a major food source that is closer than most to humans in the food chain.

At this point, given the little knowledge about the virus, “it is more an animal than a human health issue,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd told The Manila Times. “While there are potential public health implications, one can’t go beyond what the evidence shows.”

That is, the Ebola-Reston virus that affected laboratory monkeys from Laguna in the 1990s infected 25 people but they did not get ill; one handler got sick from what was probably an unrelated cause and he recovered quickly.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) says it is not a public health issue but a veterinary one, adding the Ebola-Reston strain “does not pose a significant public health risk.” Humans can get the virus, but it does not cause illness, the Department of Health (DOH) said in turn.

The concern this time is that the virus has been detected in food-producing swine. More worrisome is the possibility that hogs are so close to humans in the food chain that the virus may eventually infect humans.

Duque cautions there is very inadequate evidence to make definite conclusions now. “Anything is possible,” he said. “We want to make sure, to know more about the virus which is unique to the Philippines.”

“We don’t go overboard, nor should we assume a laid-back, complacent attitude,” he said. “It’s a tightrope [and] we have to look at the matter closely.”

“We can’t afford a cavalier attitude,” he added. “We are concerned but tempered against an epidemic of misinformation that is more dangerous. We have to look at the matter closely.”

The matter is “open-ended,” he said, adding that’s why the international experts have been invited to look at the matter closely. “Not really because of the potential threat to humans but because of the information, the scholastic, the very high research value.”

“All systems are in place to prevent public transmission. Our preparedness for SARS is now helping us adequately respond to emergencies,” Duque said in reference to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 caused by the SARS coronavirus.

“We are confident of our capability to test for the [Ebola-Reston] virus,” he said, citing facilities at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).

The RITM said 94 percent of blood samples of hogs from affected farms tested negative for Ebola-Reston. Some 42 people who had close contact with the pigs also tested negative.

Cautious approach

“The fact that this is the first time that the virus has been found outside monkeys, and the first time ever, worldwide, that it has been found in swine, a food-producing animal, makes this mission particularly important—especially considering the potential implications for animal and human health and welfare,” said a statement this week from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The FAO, OIE and WHO, upon the invitation of the government, are here on a 10-day mission that started on Monday. They are conducting field and laboratory investigation on the source of the virus, its transmission, virulence and natural habitat.

The aim is to provide appropriate guidance for animal and human health protection—although Ebola-Reston has not been found to be dangerous to humans.

Calling it an “unfolding situation,” FAO said other microorganisms isolated from sick and dying swine—rather than the Ebola-Reston virus—may have been the cause of elevated mortality.

Some 22 foreign epidemiologists, laboratory specialists, veterinarians, food safety and public health and risk communication experts are working closely with agriculture and health authorities.

Preliminary results, which will guide further investigations, are expected in a few weeks at the earliest.

In a cautious approach to what FAO calls an “evolving situation,” the United Nations agency stressed it is still not known whether humans can be infected.

“To make sweeping statements as to Yes-Risk or No-Risk based on six caretakers exposed to Ebola-Reston at this stage would be premature,” it said in a statement.

“The answer requires close collaboration between producers, veteri-narians, health officials and market intermediaries. Studies need to be carried out in the commercial swine sectors affected, animal handlers, throughout the market chain and its intermediaries, and among consumers before full advice can be given.”
 
   
 

   
Sunday, January 11, 2009
 
 
SPECIAL REPORT:EBOLA-RESTON VIRUS
 
Should the government have been more prompt in publicizing the accidental discovery of the Ebola-Reston virus?
 
DOH: Public disclosure
made at the correct time
 
 
A FEW critics of the government have faulted health and agriculture officials for allegedly not going public early enough—and only speaking up about the Ebola-Reston virus because of pressure from the United Nations and international health agencies.

The critics said the government had known about Ebola-Reston for a month before it was publicized on December 10.

But a Department of Health (DOH) disease expert said the Department of Agriculture (DA) was quick to ascertain the presence of the virus in other pig farms nationwide and were in constant consultation with health authorities.

The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) immediately quarantined the affected farms and agriculture officials nationwide were alerted.

All the infected animals in the two farms where the virus was detected were burned and buried, the premises and establishments disinfected and the affected areas put under strict quarantine and movement control.

Meat inspectors were also busy, albeit silently, making sure that contaminated products did not reach the market.

At the same time, the DOH and the BAI collected blood samples from animals and humans in the farm vicinity. No humans tested positive for antibodies, meaning their bodies have not initiated their immune defense because they were not infected.

Health officials were alerted and made ready to put in place contingency plans to contain a potential outbreak, if ever.

“Authorities wanted to make sure all preventive measures were in place, that the virus was only limited to two farms and were not widespread and indeed there was no cause for the public to panic,” explained the disease expert who requested anonymity.

“Intensive consultations, cross-checkings and verifications were made before authorities went public,” he stressed.

Only then, on December 10, did agriculture and health officials declare that swine in the two pig farms were found positive for the Ebola-Reston virus.

“Following the government disclosure, the DA and BAI promptly asked the international health community for assistance in conducting a risk assessment, in testing our swine population for the presence of the Ebola-Reston virus and in drawing up diagnostics and disease prevention plans to prevent the spread of the infection,” Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said.

Criticism has died down because the faultfinders have realized that the government had to make sure what they were dealing with and what the facts were before they could announce anything.

US Agriculture lab isolated the virus

A United States Department of Agriculture laboratory isolated the Ebola-Reston virus in swine samples and promptly alerted Philippine authorities on October 30.

More than a month passed before agriculture and health officials here announced that the virus was indeed detected in local swine.

And the decision to invite foreign experts was made on December 23.

By late December, even before the arrival of international experts, the BAI collected blood samples from farmhands and sent them for testing to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM). All tested negative for the virus.

BAI Director Davinio Catbagan said that after a series of tests made to prevent the spread of the virus and determine the extent of the infection, the RITM found out that there were no sick pigs and no sign of illness among animal caretakers and butchers in slaughterhouses in affected areas.

Catbagan heads a Crisis Management Team on the Ebola-Reston virus that was created last month.

First-ever pork export halted

The detection of the virus caused the DA to suspend in December the country’s first-ever export, scheduled this month, of 50,000 tons of choice pork cuts from Polomolk, South Cotabato, to Singapore.

The suspension, Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd said, indicates a very conservative stance.

“Although the virus does not affect the health of humans, we decided to put on hold all exports,” Yap said, adding the virus must be eliminated first before the ban is lifted.

He said that all hogs that are sources of pork exports have passed the stringent requirements of Singapore health authorities on food safety, but the government still subjected the pork for testing as a matter of precaution.

“Given all the safeguard assurances, we still want to subject our farms to tests and we want to eradicate this virus,” he said.

The ban on pork exports remains effective until the virus is completely eradicated from livestock.

Catbagan also explained that from the original number of four farms—two of them commercial and two backyard—test results showed that only the pigs from the commercial farms in Pandi, Bulacan, and Manaoag, Panga-sinan, were positive for the Ebola-Reston virus.

These farms have since been quarantined.

“As we clear those farms, then we are going to go back to our export track,” Yap said, even as he expressed optimism that all hogs in South Cotabato and General Santos City will test negative for the virus.

“I’m confident that Visayas and Mindanao are not affected at all because since 1995 we have stopped moving animals from Luzon to these regions.”

Inspectors have been directed to confiscate meat products from Luzon that do not have shipping permits and travelers have been urged to refrain from bringing meat and meat products especially from Luzon. Quarantine checkpoints are up on major highways.

Cagayan de Oro City reported 2,000 hog fatalities in what was reported to be an outbreak of “hog cholera” in late November in backyard pigpens. Misamis Oriental reported another 300 hog fatalities.

Yap said the findings of the international experts would help determine not only the extent and possible source of the Ebola-Reston infection but also of other virulent swine diseases such as the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome.

And they would help the government craft a national surveillance plan along with prevention and control programs to rid the country of the Ebola-Reston virus.
-- Paul M. Icamina And Ira Karen Apanay
 
   
 

Heart to Heart Talk
Deadlier than Ebola virus


By Dr. Philip S. Chua
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 13:37:00 12/29/2008

Filed Under: Health, Diseases, Politics, Local authorities, Government


The recent incident surrounding the revelation of the discovery of Ebola Reston virus in pigs in the Philippines clearly underscores the incompetence, irresponsibility, and callousness of our government. It also highlights how reckless it could be with public health, safety, and the lives of its citizens. Given the choice between promptly informing the public for the prevention of a potential grave risk to people’s lives and protecting the pig industry, the government chose to safeguard the market and hide the truth from the people. Why am I not surprised?

Three deadly strains of the Ebola virus killed countless people in the Congo, wiping out villages, in 1976. That epidemic and the subsequent equally lethal Ebola outbreaks in the various parts of the globe created massive fear in people’s mind around the world.

Fortunately, the outbreak in pigs in the Philippines involved the Ebola Reston, a strain that infects monkeys and has not been found to cause disease in humans. But that’s beside the point.

While there is no scientific evidence at the present that Ebola Reston can be transmitted by animals to humans, the experts also do not know if “passing” from monkeys to pig the virus could mutate to a deadly strain like the other three and eventually develop the ability to infect humans.

The possibility of said mutation alone, and the subsequent potential grave risk, would have alarmed any intelligent and responsible person. But these qualities seem to be too much to expect from many of our government officials.

The following pertinent excerpts from the article written by Jonathan Cheng, which appeared in the December 19, 2008 issue of the Wall Street Journal, vividly illustrate how our government bungled the handling of this important public health issue:

“Global health authorities are preparing an emergency mission to the Philippines after U.S. scientists discovered a strain of the Ebola virus in dead pigs there that had previously only been found in monkeys.

“But (international) health officials say it is too early to rule out a possible threat to humans, and expressed concern over the fact that this incident, first revealed in an Oct. 30, 2008 teleconference between the Philippine government and U.S. health authorities, wasn’t made public until a news conference for local media in Manila last week.

“Pigs have served as genetic mixing vessels for viruses that pass from animals to humans, which makes the Philippine discovery significant ... When a virus jumps species, in this case from monkeys to pigs, we become concerned, particularly as pigs are much closer to humans than monkeys in their ability to harbor viruses,” says Peter Cordingley, Western Pacific spokesman for the World Health Organization in Manila.

“According to officials at the WHO, the World Organization for Animal Health and the Philippines’ Bureau of Animal Industry, pig farmers in three provinces near the capital of Manila began noticing high rates of sickness and death among their livestock as early as May.

“In August, Philippine authorities sent samples from the dead pigs to the Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New York, where scientists detected the presence of several diseases, including a devastating pig virus known as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, or blue-ear pig disease.

“Weeks later, during the October 30 teleconference, authorities at the Philippines’ Department of Agriculture were notified that scientists had further discovered Ebola Reston virus in six of the 28 pig samples sent to the U.S.

“The Philippine government waited until December 10 to make the presence of Ebola Reston virus public, citing concern for the pork industry and a lack of evidence that humans were in any danger.

“The WHO said it learned of the disease through the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization in late November. Concerns have been deepening across Asia about diseases among stocks of chickens and pigs, including H5N1 avian influenza and blue-ear pig disease. The latest announcement forced the Philippines to abort its first-ever commercial export of pork, which was to be made to Singapore earlier this month.

“According to people at the WHO and the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health, known by its French acronym OIE, Philippine authorities decided to go public only after being pressured by those two groups and the FAO. Dr. Bernard Vallat, director-general of the OIE, said it was ‘not an easy negotiation’ to persuade Philippine authorities to go public with the news.

“He said the pigs were most likely killed by another disease, but that the presence of the Ebola Reston virus in pigs should be investigated to assess the risk to humans.

“The Ebola virus comes in five distinct strains, three of which are associated with the high-fatality outbreaks that first appeared in the Congo in 1976. In 1989, scientists discovered what would be known as the Reston strain of the Ebola virus among monkeys imported from the Philippines and kept for research in a Reston, Va., lab. A handful of humans were infected in that case, but only one person showed any symptoms, and fully recovered.”

If the World Health Organization and the international experts, who are foreigners, showed that much concern for the welfare and safety of the Filipinos, why don’t our government officials at least care as much, if not more, for our own people, instead of being blatantly dishonest and contemptuous of them?

But, of course, what else is new?

This cancer of indifference, immorality, incompetence, and irresponsibility afflicting majority of our government officials, not to mention the pervasive malignant graft and corruption among most of them, are far worse than the Ebola virus itself.

While even the deadliest Ebola strain can only kill its victims, the criminals and plunderers in our government, with premeditation, methodically kill not only the future of the Filipinos, but also their self-respect, hope, dignity, and pride as a people and as a nation.

These Philippine strains of eBola Trapo viruses (where “e” stands for evil and “Bola” for lies and larceny) are much deadlier, indeed!

My prescription: A massive dose of a truly united People Power vaccine for good governance to eliminate all these sickening bugs!

What are we waiting for?

Here’s wishing you one and all: A year of new vision and hope for our people and our nation.
 

 

 Mysterious disease hits backyard farms in Davao del Sur
[12 January 2009] At least 50 pigs from at eight villages in Davao del Sur province in Mindanao, Philippines have died from a mixture of viral and bacterial infection, said provincial veterinarian Dr Nestor Barroga, who added that they could not yet determine what type of virus has affected the animals. Animals in the area are already being quarantined and affected farms have been disinfected while veterinary officials wait for test results. Symptoms include excessive salivation, red skin and blood oozing from the snout. Among the viruses suspected of causing the deaths is hog cholera complicated by PRRS. 
 
 
 

 Philippines eyes lifting of quarantine on local hogs
[13 January 2009] The Philippine Department of Agriculture is seeking to have the quarantine on local hogs lifted to enable it to send its pork meat exports to Singapore. The first shipment was scheduled for loading in early December 2008, but was scrapped following findings that the Ebola-Reston virus was found in some pig samples sent to a US laboratory. Although the virus is non-pathogenic to humans, and was only found in samples from pigs from Luzon, the government decided to hold back the shipment. Further tests on pigs have yielded negative results and the DA and the Bureau of Animal Industry is now eyeing the removal of the quarantine. 
 
 
 

Monday, January 12, 2009Print This Page
Pork Export Accreditation Plans Put on Hold
THE PHILIPPINES - The government has temporarily set aside its plans to tap Asian markets for its pork exports, pending findings of tests by an international team now in the country to study the Ebola Reston virus in local hogs, the head of the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) said in a phone interview late last week.



The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), the Livestock Development Council, and the NMIS — all attached agencies of the Agriculture department — have put on hold plans to apply for pork export accreditation from South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan, NMIS Executive Director Jane C. Bacayo said. "We have to prioritize because we are not yet sure on the effects of Ebola [Reston on hogs and humans]" Mr Bacayo said in Filipino.

The agencies had earlier planned to submit documents on local sanitary and biosecurity programs to South Korea in the last part of 2008, as well as to Japan and Hong Kong early this year, according to BusinessWorld.

"With this Ebola scare, no one from abroad will buy from us until we get a final statement of the international organizations," Albert R.T. Lim, Jr., president of the National Federation of Hog Farmers, Inc., said in a separate phone interview.

The Ebola-Reston virus, a subtype of Ebola, was discovered in the Philippines in 1989 among crab-eating macaques exported to the Hazleton Laboratories in Reston, Virginia. Late in October last year, the Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory of the US Department of Agriculture reported to the Agriculture department that six out of 28 pig tissue samples taken from four hog farms in May, June and September were positive for the virus.

While Ebola Reston is believed to be harmless to humans, the outbreaks last year were the first recorded cases of the virus jumping species, hence, the concern.

"We continue to communicate with foreign governments to learn more about their safety protocols, but we cannot focus on [meeting the protocols] right now," Mr Bacayo said.

"[Getting export accreditation] will depend on the outcome of the studies and recommendations of the international experts," he added.

Mr Lim agreed, saying that plans will now depend "if we can get a clean bill of health from those agencies."

A 22-man team of public and animal health experts from the World Health Organization (WHO), World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, and Agriculture department are testing tissue samples from hog farms in the towns of Pandi in Bulacan and Manaoag in Pangasinan — the suspected source of the virus. The 10-day mission will end early next week.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009Print This Page
Hog Producers Blame Retailers for High Costs
THE PHILIPPINES - The Christmas holidays are over but retail prices of pork have increased by more than six per cent to as much as P180 per kilo from a week-ago and retailers and hog raisers are pointing fingers at each other.



A price monitoring report by the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics of the Department of Agriculture showed that Metro Manila retail prices of pork liempo went up to P180 per kilo as of 8 January from P170 per kilo of 3 January while pork ham also increased by P10 per kilo to P170 from P160 per kilo.

According to Manila Bulletin Online, hog raisers have blamed the high cost of pork meats on the retailers saying that farm gate prices have not increased as much since December last year.

"Absolutely there is no reason why retail prices should go up that much because the average farm gate is only P105 per kilo," said Albert Lim, president of the National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc.

Even at farm gate prices of P140 to P150 per kilo, Lim said that retail prices should have increased only to P175 per kilo. At the current farmgate rates, retail prices should have been lower.

According to Lim, farm gate prices have not moved much since December when demand was up and farm gate prices were at P100 to P102 and now P105.

Lim also noted that increase in farm gate prices was limited to P2 only per kilo despite the fact that prices of corn, which is converted into feed hogs, are now hitting P24 per kilo.

There could also be a shortage in local corn production because of the poor harvest, he said.

In December, corn prices were at P12 to P13 per kilo but prices shoot up to P18 per kilo before Christmas.

Lim said that as prices of corn go up, the backyard hog raisers are the first to be affected.

On the other hand, traders said there is really a shortage in hogs because of the "ebola" disease and the high price of corn.

Thursday, January 15, 2009Print This Page
High Demand for Poultry and Meat Products Seen
THE PHILIPPINES - Provincial Veterinarian Romeo Magdato foresaw a high demand of poultry and meat products this year based on the demand/consumption reported last year.



Magdato in an interview assured the public that pork coming from Antique is certified free of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and safe from Ebola Reston virus despite detection of said virus in few hogs in two farms in Bulacan and Pangasinan late last year,

"We continue to be supplier of poultry and meat products to Aklan particularly Boracay, Iloilo and some parts of Metro Manila because of the high demand from these areas", the source said.

The implementation of Piglet Restocking program of the Department of Agriculture has helped a lot in providing supply of pork not just for local consumption but also of other areas.

PROVET further reported that supply of poultry and livestock were affected by the devastation of typhoon Frank last year where hundred of stocks were killed/lost.

Magdato encouraged poultry and livestock raisers even in backyards to double the production since the demand are increasing and prices are on the uptrend where hog cost P85-P88 a kilo in current livestock market prices.

Meanwhile, the government has formed a local team to assist a visiting group of International human and animal health experts carry out a 10-day epidemiological investigation into the re-emergence of the Ebola Reston virus that was detected in Bulacan and Pangasinan said the Department of Agriculture (DA).

DA Secretary Arthur Yap has welcomed the arrival of the team of international animal and human health experts, saying the exhaustive tests it will carry out would help the government craft a national surveillance plan along with prevention and control programs to get rid of the Reston virus, PIA report said.

Friday, January 23, 2009Print This Page
DOH Confirms Worker Infected with Ebola-Reston
THE PHILIPPINES - The Department of Health (DOH) confirmed that one farm worker in the Philippines has been infected with Ebola-Reston antibodies, officials announced today.



ABS-CBN News reports that the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) said this is likely to be an old infection contracted more than six months ago.

The person is healthy and has had no serious illness in the past 12 months, said Dr. Enrique Tayag, director of the Department of Health's National Epidemiology Center.

The government ban on pork exports is still in effect.

The source of the virus is still being determined, and the scientific investigation is still on-going.

Experts from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Organization for Animal Health, and the World Health Organization are in the Philippines to investigate the discovery of a strain of the Ebola virus in some dead pigs in the Philippines.

The Philippines had asked the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for help in stopping the spread of Ebola-Reston virus after an infection was found in some hog farms last year.

The presence of the Ebola-Reston virus in some pigs in two commercial farms and two backyard farms in the country was the first such case anywhere in the world.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009Print This Page
Possible Hog Cholera Infection Reported
THE PHILIPPINES - The local veterinary office in Tacloban City has been receiving reports of possible cholera infection in pigs, reported a health official today.



SOURCE reports that Eunice Alcantara, city veterinary officer, said her office have been receiving reports about pigs that have diarrhea, fever and other respiratory diseases, which are symptoms of hog cholera.

"Barangay Captains and some individuals are coming to the office about these reports. We give [the pigs] immediate treatments," Alcantara said.

Alcantara, meanwhile, assured Tacloban City residents that there is nothing to worry about the reports. She said none of the pigs have been tested positive with hog cholera.

She, however, advised the public to carefully choose pork products in the market. She said the public should avoid eating pork of sick hogs.

Alcantara said meat inspectors are now closely monitoring hog farms and around the city and nearby towns. She said meat inspectors are also strictly inspecting pigs being brought to the city slaughter house.

27 January 2009] Philippine hog production in 2008 dropped 1.6% to 1.86 million tonnes. The Bureau of Agricultural Statistics reported that there were notable decreases in stocks and number of animals slaughtered in Luzon because of the hog cholera scare during the first half of the year, and that while there was a slight increase in slaughtering volume in the last half of the year, it was “not enough to offset the losses” recorded earlier. Value-wise, however, the sector posted an 11.29% increase with PHP 149.59 billion (USD 3.16 billion) from PHP 134.42 billion (USD 2.84 billion) in 2007. The growth is attributed to improved farm prices which averaged PHP 80.61 (USD 1.70)/kg in 2008 vs PHP 71.27 (USD 1.51)/kg year before

Friday, January 30, 2009Print This Page
Exposure to Ebola-Reston Virus Confirmed
MANILA - At least four Filipinos were found to have been exposed to the Ebola-Reston virus that was discovered in pig farms in the Philippines, health officials confirmed today.



However, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said there is no cause for alarm as the five workers had antibodies that indicated they have developed an immunity to the virus.

"Hindi kailangan mangamba basta gawin ang apat na tagubilin ng DOH (There is no cause for worry so long as you follow the four steps the health department has prescribed)," Mr Duque said in an interview on dzBB radio.

GMA News.tv reports that Mr Duque said the steps include keeping infected hogs out of the food chain, taking bio-safety and bio-security measures, making sure pork is cooked, and prevention of double-dead meat.

Consumers can call a hotline for the Ebola Reston virus at (02)925-99-99, he said.

Radio dzBB's Carlo Mateo quoted National Epidemiology Center head Eric Tayag as saying three of the five were from affected hog farms, one from the Valenzuela area, and one from a backyard farm.

Mr Tayag said they are still investigating how the five were exposed to the virus.

Mr Duque said the four found positive for exposure to the Ebola Reston virus had normal immune systems and do not need to be quarantined.

"Kaya nilang tibagin ang virus, hindi na sila kailangang i-quarantine.

Hindi sila infectious (They have an immunity against the virus, they do not need to be quarantined. They are not infectious)," he said.

The four Filipinos were among the 77 who gave blood samples to health workers.


 

BY NEIL JEROME C. MORALES, Reporter

RP seeks clean bill of health from contagious animal virus
THE GOVERNMENT last week submitted its application to the World Organization for Animal Health (also known for its French acronym OIE) to remove most parts of Luzon island in the list of areas with foot and mouth disease (FMD), which would effectively facilitate domestic and international livestock trade.

"We have already submitted documents last Jan. 28 for the initial evaluation of [OIE] animal health experts. After the evaluation in February, we will know if we have a chance [to be certified FMD-free]," Reildrin G. Morales, deputy head of the National FMD Task Force of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), said in an interview late last week.

"There would be an initial evaluation by [six to ten FMD] experts. If we pass, our application would be endorsed to the scientific commission [for a comprehensive evaluation]," he said in Filipino.

The Philippines had filed for the restoration of its FMD-free status for Luzon in 2008, but was retained in the list of countries with FMD due to a missing blood test. The OIE also questioned the swill feeding and quarantine measures to prevent the entry of smuggled pork.

OIE experts sent their comments to the government only in March 2008, which was short time for the government to respond before the OIE general session held last May, Mr. Morales said.

The BAI last year collected 5,000-6,000 blood samples for the protein elisa test, he added.

FMD is a highly contagious viral disease that infects cloven-hoofed animals. The local livestock sector had lost about P2.3 billion from the 1995 outbreak to 2005 because of the disease.

The latest FMD infection was recorded in December 2005 in Lukban, Quezon province.

The Agriculture department had allotted P10 million annually to eradicate FMD.

The government has sought FMD-free with vaccination certification for Pangasinan province in Region 1 (Ilocos Region) and provinces in Region 3 (Central Luzon) except for Aurora and Region 4-A (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon), and the rest of Luzon as FMD-free without vaccination.

Regions 3 and 4-A account for more than a quarter of domestic hog production.

The OIE had certified Mindanao as FMD-free in 2001, and Visayas, Palawan and Masbate in 2002.

FMD-free areas without vaccination are allowed free movement of hogs and pork products to other provinces and countries.

"For one, we could be allowed to export [pork products from Luzon] especially if we can get over with the Ebola Reston case," Mr. Morales said.

The Agriculture department has issued an export ban on all pork products following the detection of Ebola Reston in local hogs late last year.

That is what we want, for us to be able to export hogs or pork products to other countries," Albert R. T. Lim, Jr., president of the National Federation of Hog Farmers, Inc., said in a separate phone interview.

Mr. Lim said Koreans have been asking the industry for pork bellies while traders from Hong Kong have shown interest in buying live hogs.

Hog production dropped last year by 1.6% to 1.855 million metric tons (MT) from 1.886 million MT as the industry is only starting to recover from a hog respiratory disease two years ago and due to a cholera scare in the first semester last year, data from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics show.