In mid-2007, an

outbreak In epidemiology, an outbreak is a sudden increase in occurrences of a disease when cases are in excess of normal expectancy for the location or season. It may affect a small and localized group or impact upon thousands of people across an entire ...

classical swine fever Classical swine fever (CSF) or hog cholera (also sometimes called pig plague based on the German word ) is a highly contagious disease of swine ( Old World and New World pigs). It has been mentioned as a potential bioweapon. Clinical signs ...

or hog cholera had affected the

Central Luzon Central Luzon ( pam, (Reyun ning) Kalibudtarang Luzon, pag, (Rehiyon na) Pegley na Luzon, tgl, (Rehiyon ng) Gitnang Luzon, ilo, (Rehion/Deppaar ti) Tengnga ti Luzon), designated as Region III, is an administrative region in the Philippines, ...

region of the Philippines, particularly in the

provinces A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan ( tl, Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Metr ...

and

Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga ( pam, Lalawigan ning Pampanga; tl, Lalawigan ng Pampanga ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac ...

, as confirmed by the

Department of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

Statistics

Bulacan, which lies immediately north of

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...

, is the center of hog raising in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Backyard and commercial farms, about 300 in number, with 80% of those commercial, are estimated to have more than a million sows.Hog cholera reported in Bulacan
By Carmela Reyes, the''

Philippine Daily Inquirer The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded bro ...

''. 05:58pm 26 July 2007

Outbreak

The outbreak was originally confined on early July to backyard farms in three towns, but expanded to 43

barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...

s in 12

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

(of 21 municipalities and three cities) in Bulacan. Commercial farms, which are 80% of the farms, were unaffected, according to provincial veterinarian Felipe Bartolome. Bartolome also dismissed the cases of

foot-and-mouth disease Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) or hoof-and-mouth disease (HMD) is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids. The virus causes a high fever lasting two to six days, followe ...

in the province, and the hog cholera only affected about 3,000–5,000 sows. The DA assured the public that pork prices would remain stable and that the supply of pork in Metro Manila would not be affected. As a result of the outbreak, the DA issued a memorandum to prevent the spread of hog cholera virus in Central Luzon, containing quarantine policies to prevent further spread of the virus and information dissemination on proper hog hygiene. At the end of July, DA's Bureau of Animal Industry via a report of its officer-in-charge Davinio Catbagan to DA secretary Arthur Yap said, "hog cholera, swine flu, and the pseudo-rabies virus that hit some farms have now been placed under control through measures the Department of Agriculture immediately put in place." The DA released 5,000 doses of hog cholera vaccine in the province to curtail the outbreak. In its estimate, the DA said only 4,000 sows, 2,000 each in Bulacan and Pampanga, were affected. Furthermore, the National Meat Inspection Service strictly monitored the movement of hogs and newly slaughtered meat. The final count for Bulacan was pegged at 2,823 affected hogs, representing a minimal 0.29% of the total hog population of over one million in Bulacan, in 43 barangays in 11 towns and one city.DA: Hog cholera outbreak now under control
Philippine Information Agency

Response

As a result of the outbreak, police checkpoints were placed along the roads entering Metro Manila. A routine inspection seized of "hot meat" in

Santa Maria, Bulacan Santa Maria ( , ), officially the Municipality of Santa Maria ( tgl, Bayan ng Santa Maria), is a 1st class municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, ...

, while

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

officials confiscated five tons of meat from Balintawak public market during a surprise inspection.Five tons of tainted meat seized in Balintawak market
By Jefferson Antiporda, the

Manila Times ''The Manila Times'' is the oldest extant English-language newspaper in the Philippines. It is published daily by The Manila Times Publishing Corp. (formerly La Vanguardia Publishing Corporation) with editorial and administrative offices at 2/F ...

. August 02, 2007

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Central Luzon Hog Cholera Outbreak 2007 disasters in the Philippines 2007 disease outbreaks Disease outbreaks in the Philippines History of Pampanga History of Bulacan Swine diseases