Your Noche Buena and Media Noche will probably include dishes like hamonado, lechon, lumpiang shanghai, barbecue, or homemade sweet ham. Yet before you start cooking, be sure to check if the pork you bought is safe from the Ebola Reston virus outbreak.
Pigs from several farms in Bulacan, Pangasinan, and Nueva Ecija tested positive for the Ebola Reston virus during a recent random check, prompting agriculture authorities to quarantine piggeries in the areas. Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap confirmed that, as of last week, 42 people had close contact with contaminated pigs but tested negative for the disease.
"From the epidemiological standpoint, humans have high tolerance for this virus," said Deputy presidential spokesman Anthony Golez. Regardless, he advised the public to cook pork-based food properly.
Aside from the quarantine, the Bureau of Animal Industry set up checkpoints to prevent the transport of contaminated pigs.
So be extra careful in buying and cooking pork-based dishes this Christmas. Even if the virus is not harmful to humans, it's still best to be on the safe side, especially this time of year.
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