The latest analysis of blood samples from pigs in some towns in Occidental Mindoro tested negative for African Swine Fever, the Department of Agriculture reported on Friday.

The Bureau of Animal Industry said that Occidental Mindoro implemented meat inspection checkpoints last week and quarantined producers after declaring an ASF outbreak in the towns of San Jose, Santa Cruz, and Rizal.

“The latest blood tests were conducted to secure Recognition of Active Surveillance on ASF, which shows there aren’t any active cases of ASF in a specified place,” said the DA. “The tests, conducted at the Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, confirmed the absence of ASF in the local pig population.”

The three municipalities applied for the RAS-ASF following the negative detection of the virus.

The certification is also a requirement to allow the entry and exit of pigs in the said province.

“The success in mitigating the spread of ASF can be attributed to the effective collaboration between the DA-BAI, local government units, and various agencies. This underscores the importance of coordinated actions in addressing and preventing the outbreak of infectious animal diseases.”

The agency confirmed on 22 January the presence of ASF in San Jose and Santa Cruz, which pushed the BAI to implement bio-security controls, including setting quarantine ranges, in the said areas from 11 to 13 January, including the killing of 41 swine in San Jose and two swine in Santa Cruz, and enforcing strict border control measures to prevent the swine virus from further spreading.