Philippines - Agri agency intensifies measures against swine disease

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has intensified its preventive measures to control the spread of an emerging swine disease, which swine experts called the porcine diarrhea syndrome in some hog farms in Batangas and Bulacan reportedly killing piglets. To speed up the process, the DA, through the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) has created a task force to solve these cases of diarrhea problems among pigs. Under this group, the private sector will be involved; the Philippine College of Swine Practitioners and the National Federation of Hog Farmers, the LGUs and provincial veterinarians in monitoring of reported incidence of PDS in affected areas to prevent the spread of the disease. In a report to Agriculture Secretary Domingo F. Panganiban, BAI officer-in-charge Davinio P. Catbagan said that more samples from affected areas were collected to establish what clinical signs manifested in those farms. The collection of samples after examination of the BAI Diagnostic at the Philippine Animal Industry Health Center, according to Catbagan, produced different diagnosis which includes: hog cholera, pseudo rabies virus, porcine post-weaning multi-systemic syndrome, Rotavirus enteritis and porcine epidemic diarrhea or PED. In a series of meetings and consultations with the stakeholders, Catbagan said that the task force will continue collecting samples from pig farms to decide what appropriate measures have to be undertaken and if vaccination is to be desired. The importance of vaccine was brought up in the meeting because at present, affected farms resort to the feed-back system, where broth is prepared from the intestines of live affected piglets, and this is administered to the pregnant sow on the last 3rd week of its gestation. They found out that piglets from these sows have no cases of diarrhea. Those that recur are those administered later than the 3rd week of gestation.