00:00The ASF jab for hogs has kicked off in the province of Batangas with 10,000 doses for starters,
00:06but the potency of the vaccine can only be determined a fortnight or two weeks of waiting
00:12for the antibodies to build inside, which the Bureau of Animal Industry will check for efficacy.
00:19Our Claisel Pardilla fills us in with more details.
00:22The Department of Agriculture has started the first government vaccination drive
00:32against African swine fever in Lobo, Batangas today. The initial batch of 41 hogs received
00:38the ASF vaccine in Maragay, Malapad, Parang, Lobo, Batangas, including those owned by Vicente.
00:4514 days following the vaccination, the Bureau of Animal Industry will conduct blood tests
01:02on the vaccinated pigs and monitor their health conditions regularly thereafter.
01:16According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the hog population has decreased to 10 million,
01:30representing a 23 percent decline compared to over 13 million before the ASF outbreak in 2019.
01:38In the past five years, ASF has impacted 5,700 barangays with more than 400 reported active
01:46cases. This situation has significantly affected both the supply and prices of pork. In Lobo,
01:53the price of pork fell last month due to decreased sales caused by the ASF outbreak scare. However,
02:00there are signs of gradual price hike.
02:30The Department of Agriculture has assured the public,
02:43current supply of pork remains sufficient. The agency is working to enhance the confidence
02:49of hog producers through a government-controlled vaccination program.
02:53This initiative aims to increase pork supply and make pork prices more affordable for consumers.
03:00The DA plans to administer 10,000 doses of the ASF vaccines to hogs in Batangas,
03:28with an additional 150,000 doses expected to arrive next week.
03:33This is part of a larger procurement of 600,000 doses of the ASF vaccine by the government.
03:40The vaccine will be administered to hogs that are four weeks old and older,
03:44provided they test negative for ASF. Should the vaccine prove effective,
03:49the Food and Drug Administration will issue a direct certificate of product registration,
03:54allowing commercial use of the vaccine.
03:56Kalei sa Pardiliya for the new and better Philippines.
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