Swine Flu Virus Found in Luncheon Meat confiscated from OFW

According to Agriculture Secretary Manny Pinol, it was found out that a Filipino who had returned to the Philippines on March 25, 2019, from a trip to Hong Kong was the one who had brought the infected canned goods. It was immediately confiscated that day in the Clark International Airport.

The Bureau of Animal Industry or BAI stated that the DNA of the African Swine Flu was inside the pork luncheon meat. It was tested using the ASF Taqman PCR Assay at the ADDRL.

The assay used in studying the processed meat samples is one of the two validated PCR procedures indicated in the OIE Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals. The procedures were created by Donald King et al. (2003) at the Institute for Animal Health currently the Pirbright Institute and ASF Reference Laboratory. The procedures were also validated in the same laboratory and at the Veterinary Laboratory Agency.

 The photo was taken from Agriculture Secretary Manny Pinol's facebook page

This was the same protocol that was used in 2012 as the regional protocol for ASF detection by the FAO for the Regional Laboratory Network. It is also used by at least ten countries in Asia. The BAI had passed all of the six proficiency tests which were conducted on the year 2013 to the year 2018. The proficiency tests were under the FAO Regional Quality Assurance Program for the ASEAN and SAARC Regional Laboratory Networks of which the Philippines is a proud member.

As of the moment, there are no African Swine Flu infections reported in pigs in the Philippines.

The presence of the African Swine Flu virus detected in the confiscated products does not change the Philippine’s African Swine Flu- free title.




The confiscation of meat products (processed or not) is a reminder for the hog industry of the serious threat of the African Swine Flu if it were to enter the country.

Manny Pinol stated to the public to take the African Swine Flu threat a serious matter. He also reminds the public to obey the restriction of bringing in processed pork products from ASF affected countries to the Philippines.

If the African Swine Fever had infected the healthy pigs of the country, it will result in a great economic loss for the Philippines.