The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) assured Tuesday that Palawan is foot and mouth disease (FMD) free.
Provincial supervising veterinarian Dr. Benito del Rosario said the province remains to be free from the highly contagious viral disease of cattle and swine compared to other provinces.
“Hindi katulad ng ibang lugar sa Pilipinas, ang Palawan ay declared as foot and mouth disease free province. Kung sa ibang parte ng bansa ay nawala na lang dahil sa bakuna ay dito sa atin naturally ay wala. Ever since ay wala tayong ganoong kaso sa Palawan,” he said.
On Tuesday, the provincial government called the PVO to provide an update on the status of hog-related diseases in the province to formulate necessary legislation and intervention.
“Wala tayong recorded cases kahit noon pa, wala talaga siya dito sa probinsya,” De Rosario said to members of the Provincial Board during the question hour.
FMD and the African Swine Fever (ASF) are among the current prominent hog diseases being monitored in the country, including the zoonotic disease hepatitis E and encephalitis.
Recently, the Philippine government got alarmed after Taiwan listed it as one of the “high-risk” areas for the ASF virus due to a number of swine deaths in Rizal and Bulacan.
It ordered airport and quarantine officials to strictly inspect all bags of passengers from the Philippines to ensure the virus will not be carried in its territory.
Earlier, he said the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) has not issued a ban against pork meat products from entering the province because local supply cannot meet the demand of hotels and restaurants.
