45 blood samples positive by real time PCR for ASF. A total of 166 pigs, including all pigs within a 1 km radius of each farm, were culled. The spread is suggested to arise from movement of contaminated feed materials from the initial affected provinces into adjacent metropolitan provinces. Road blocks have been mounted by armed national police to prevent pig movements between provinces. The local government in Quezon City has allocated 10 million PHP (US$ 193,000) as compensation for removal of suspect pigs. The current com- pensation rate has been set at 3,000 PHP (US$ 58) per pig. This is near to the current market price for 30 kg lechon pigs but well below the current market price for porker pigs (around 9,000 PHP or US$ 174 per pig). Despite this pro- gramme, other cases may be unreported and some affected farmers in affected provinces have disposed of dead pigs into local waste sites and rivers. In total 36 dead pigs were recov- ered from the Marakina river, which flows from Rizal province towards Manila and three more pigs from local rivers in Quezon City, north of Manila. Local veterinary authorities are monitoring and depopulating many backyard piggeries across central Luzon, however it is
likely that spread to other backyard farms may continue in the near future.
ASF control The ASF virus is a large and complex DNA virus with multiple outer layers and numerous mechanisms aimed to avoid an immune reaction in the host pig. There is therefore little like- ly value in development of a killed or subunit vaccine ap- proach for ASF control. Strategies to develop a suitable live attenuated vaccine have not yet been successful. The key to ASF control currently relies on depopulation of af- fected farms and prevention of new cases via strict biosecuri- ty. ASF virus is mostly spread via contact with infected pigs (including wild boars) or pig materials, such as pork meat or offal products. There are few wild pigs in the central Luzon area, however native pigs are common in rural provinces of the Philippines.
Possible impacts on Philippines production There are similarities in the arrival of ASF to the Philippines with its outbreaks of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) and
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Backyard breed- ing farm in Central Visayas.
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