Philippines Expects Second African Swine Fever Vaccine on Market Before End of November
Key Takeaways
- •The Department of Agriculture plans to make a second African Swine Fever vaccine, developed in Korea, available for commercial sale before the end of November.
- •The Vietnam-made AVAC vaccine received commercial approval from the DA in September.
- •A P1-billion budget has been approved in principle to subsidize government vaccination programs covering both ASF and avian influenza.
- •The DA expects to approve a third ASF vaccine, anticipated to come from Thailand, by next year.
- •Since ASF was first detected in 2019, outbreaks spreading to 76 of 82 provinces have reduced the national hog population from about 13 million to eight million head.
The Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) said it aims to release a second vaccine against African Swine Fever (ASF) for commercial sale before the end of November, as it seeks to give hog raisers more immunization options.
"We're going to come out with the guidelines for the (distribution of the) ASF vaccine, but we have given the go-signal for commercial sale," Agriculture Undersecretary Constante J. Palabrica told reporters on Thursday on the sidelines of the Federation of Philippine Industries, Inc. Business Summit.
In September, the DA approved the commercial use of the Vietnam-made AVAC vaccine.
"Before the end of November, I'd like to have a second vaccine so at least (hog raisers) have more choice," Mr. Palabrica said.
He said the second vaccine will be a Korean-developed brand. A second approved product would give hog raisers an alternative to the AVAC vaccine, while the forthcoming distribution guidelines are set to spell out how the vaccines reach raisers.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. has approved "in principle" a P1-billion budget to subsidize the department's vaccination programs, including those against ASF and avian influenza, Mr. Palabrica said.
The DA hopes to eventually approve three ASF vaccines by next year, with the third expected to be supplied by Thailand.
ASF is a highly contagious viral disease affecting domestic and wild pigs. While it does not pose a direct threat to human health, it can be devastating to swine herds. According to the Bureau of Animal Industry, ASF outbreaks have affected 76 of the Philippines' 82 provinces.
The disease was first detected in the Philippines in 2019. Culls and animal deaths since then have cut the country's hog population to around eight million head from 13 million before the outbreak. That roughly five-million-head reduction underscores the scale of the losses the immunization program is intended to prevent. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz
