- Hello Jeff - It is a wonder that anyone would buy or
eat swine from the Philippines. Then again, how do we know if we, in the
US, are buying or eating pigs from the Philippines? We DON'T. When we
go into a supermarket or butcher shop we do not know where the meat originated.
-
- Given the fact of the recent discovery of Ebola Reston
in pigs from the Philippines, and other diseases that have emerged this
year, the pork industry in the Philippines needs to look closely at their
products.
-
- Patty
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- Pasteurella Hemolytics in Pigs in the Philippines
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- ABS-CBN News
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- There is no salmonella outbreak in Region 8, announced
Dr. Archie Lluz, who is Chief of the Regional Animal Disease and Diagnostic
Laboratory of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in the region.
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- Lluz said that the results of the laboratory examination
on specimens sent to the Philippine Animal Health Center at the Bureau
of Animal Industry in Manila proved to be negative for salmonella.
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- The results were identified as _Pasteurella hemolytica_,
a type of bacterial infection that reportedly causes deaths of swine and
is due to bad sanitation and changes in weather conditions.
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- Pigs with this infection reportedly suffer from loss
of appetite, dehydration, fever and diarrhea.
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- Lluz was referring to the specimens from Tacloban and
Babatngon, where cases of sick pigs were reported.
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- In Babatngon, there were 270 reported swine deaths due
to this condition. Swine vaccination had already been conducted to avoid
the spread of the disease.
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- Lluz said, however, that there remains a possibility
that some of the dead hogs contracted hog cholera. He said, however, that
this has yet to be confirmed.
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- He also said that hog raisers should immediately report
sick pigs to local government veterinarians so that necessary measures
could immediately be taken.
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- Never butcher sick hogs, Lluz also warned. He said that
this will only increase the spread of the disease. Also, the sick hogs
must be isolated from the healthy ones, he advised.
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- He said hog raisers should always see to it that the
environment in which the swine are held is kept sanitary and clean. Lluz
said that the affected swine were those raised in backyard pens and not
really those in hog farms.
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- The agriculture department has received reports of sick
hogs and early slaughtering from Babatngon, Tacloban City, Alangalang,
Sta. Fe, Palo, Pastrana, Dagami, Burauen, Tabontabon, Lapaz, Mayorga, and
Abuyog in Leyte; Sogod in Southern Leyte; Catbalogan, Calbiga, Daram, and
Sta. Rita in Samar; and Lope de Vega in Northern Samar.
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- Agriculture officials in the region reported that hog
diseases have spread to 18 towns and one city in Eastern Visayas this month
[February 2009] and have affected thousands of backyard hog raisers in
the region.
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- DA officials said that unrestricted slaughtering of sick
animals has triggered the spread of swine diseases.
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- Pork vendors in Tacloban are already complaining. They
said there is a marked decrease in their sales because many consumers now
refrain from buying pork for fear of salmonella.
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- There is no salmonella outbreak yet, reiterated DA officials.
They also said that this type of infection can be treated by antibiotics.
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- Byline Ranulfo Docdocan
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- http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/02/25/09/no-salmonella-outbreak-hogs-ev-?-da
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- --
- Communicated by
- ProMED-mail <mailto:promed@promedmail.org>promed@promedmail.org
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- The spread of a serious pig disease and mortality throughout
most of Eastern Visayas' territory (Leyte, Southern Leyte, Samar and Northern
Samar; see map at http://www.blancsablon.com/Philippines/map/pictures/
- philippine-map-leyte-samar-region-8.jpg>) deserves
a thorough laboratory investigation. The information on the clinical and
epidemiological aspects of the described syndrome, which reportedly has
been spreading since the end of January 2009 (and maybe earlier), is rather
incomplete.
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- According to a previous report (see 20090203.0485), the
animals suffer from anorexia, diarrhea, high fever and mortality. Such
signs can be attributed to several porcine pathogens. Bacterial agents,
such as salmonella (now refuted) and pasteurella, may have contributed
to the severity of the disease, but their role as primary etiological causative
pathogens may be doubted.
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- The testing protocol should include viral diseases, such
as classical swine fever (hog cholera) and African swine fever, hopefully
excluding the latter.
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- The recent established presence of Ebola-Reston virus
in pigs in another part of the Philippines may provide justification for
its testing in Eastern Visayas as well; see item 3 in posting 20081220.4008.
Exclusion of ER virus in Visayas will be a relief. - Mod.AS
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-
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- Patricia A. Doyle DVM, PhD Bus Admin, Tropical Agricultural
Economics Univ of West Indies Please visit my "Emerging Diseases"
message board at: <http://www.emergingdisease.org/phpbb/index.php>http://www.emergingdisease.org/phpbb/index.php
Also my new website: <http://drpdoyle.tripod.com>http://drpdoyle.tripod.com/
Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa Go with God and in Good Health
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