HANOI, Vietnam: Vietnam has announced that it has developed a vaccine for pigs to fight African swine fever, potentially becoming the first country to commercially produce and export such a vaccination.
Harmless to humans but one of the most devastating livestock diseases, African swine fever was first detected in Vietnam in February 2019, leading to the culling of some 20 percent of the country’s pigs.
The disease, which originated in Africa before spreading to Europe and Asia, has killed hundreds of millions of pigs throughout the world.
“This is a milestone of the veterinary industry. With immunity lasting six months, the vaccine will be a shield for the hog-raising industry and pig production globally,” said deputy agriculture minister Phung Duc Tien, in a statement.
In partnership with American experts, the vaccine began its development phase in November 2019, with five clinical trials being held.
Its safety and effectiveness has been confirmed by the Agricultural Research Service under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Tien said, adding, “This success opens great expectations and the room to export African swine fever vaccines produced in Vietnam is huge.”
While the swine fever outbreak has subsided in Vietnam, the disease is still affecting pig farms throughout the world.
