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HEARING
him explain the problem over dwIZ’s Karambola
morning talk show, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap
sounded quite composed and authoritative in explaining
the mild panic over an outbreak of “hog cholera” and
“swine flu” in parts of Bulacan.
Secretary Yap said the outbreak was contained in the
areas where they were detected, and that at the moment,
there was no indication it would reach epidemic
proportions.
Even so,
it was learned later on Thursday that an interagency
crisis management team was created by the provincial
government of Bulacan to monitor and contain the
outbreak that has affected several commercial and
backyard hog farms in the province.
The
crisis management team is supposed to ensure that “no
swine meat afflicted with the disease will be allowed to
be shipped out from farms and pig pens.”
Meanwhile, checkpoints have been set up to ensure that
no contaminated meat or infected hogs would be shipped
out from the farms.
According to provincial veterinarian Felipe Bartolome,
at least 43 barangays in 11 towns and one city of
Bulacan (out of a total of 22) have been affected, and
that farms, pig pens, slaughterhouses, trailers and
other animal carriers are disinfected to prevent the
disease spreading to other places.
Bartolome said they are now treating the hogs,
especially those infected with the “influenza” virus,
because the disease can be “slightly transferable” to
humans.
As
precautions, Bulacan officials advised the public to
“cook well” the pork meat and use only meat branded with
the approval seal of the meat inspector.
Meanwhile, Secretary Yap advised hog raisers to dispose
of lethargic animals, carcasses, beddings, etc. by
burying or burning; administer vaccine to apparently
healthy pigs; and thoroughly clean and disinfect
affected areas.
To be
sure, the flurry of directives and the timely measures
send a comforting signal to both the local growers and
the public, because at the very least they indicate no
attempt to mask the problem, which would worsen the
problem. People remember only too well how the utter
disrespect for transparency had caused Sars to blow out
of proportion, thanks to successful attempts by certain
Chinese authorities to put a lid on the first few
outbreaks.
In the
Philippine case, any attempt to suppress the truth can
only make things worse. It’s important, both for public
confidence of the local market and the integrity of
Philippine products—in a time when the flipside of
globalization is to spread rather more quickly and
efficiently both the good and bad products across
borders—to show that Philippine authorities can be
trusted to move quickly on disease outbreaks and similar
problems, both without any attempt at cover-up and with
swiftness and efficiency.
Ironically, just a few weeks ago representatives from
China met with our local growers to say they were
interested to import live hogs because China’s swine had
been ravaged in many areas by the blue-ear disease,
among others.
In light
of serious questions about safety and quality that have
arisen involving Chinese products—and considering how
fortuitously we’ve been spared so far from avian flu,
mad cow and serious outbreaks that have caused other
countries’ agricultural products to be banned from their
usual markets, Philippine authorities really have no
choice but to deal with each problem openly, capably and
decisively. Nothing else will do. |
