Deaths of local hogs not by swine flu
LINGAYEN–Don’t panic.
This was the advice of Provincial Veterinary Office to the public as he clarified that there is no confirmed swine flu case involving pigs in Pangasinan.
Dr. Benedicto Perez, provincial veterinarian, said the cause of deaths of some 50 pigs in several towns is Porcine Reproductive Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) and hog cholera, not swine flu as earlier suspected.
Perez said without laboratory examination, PRRS could easily be mistaken as swine flu because the two diseases manifest similar symptoms, including fever, colds and decreased resistance.
Perez made the clarification following the sudden drastic drop in pork prices in the market following a sharp decline in the demand for pork in the markets.
Perez confirmed there were more than 100 pigs reported to have been infected with PRRS in Lingayen, Labrador, Aguilar and San Manuel and 50 have died so far. He said PPRS can be readily cured here.
As of Friday, there were pigs sick of PRRS and hog cholera in Binmaley, Bugallon and Calasiao.
Perez nonetheless warned hog raisers against butchering their sick pigs and selling these to their neighbors.
He called on the public to buy meat only from the public markets since meat sold in these places are certified to come from registered slaughterhouses where animals set to be butchered undergo anti-mortem inspection and quarantine..—LM
