ASF in the Philippines: trials show Vietnamese vaccine Avac is safe and effective

Vaccine developer Avac Vietnam tested 271,424 pigs on 226 farms in December 2022. After 4 weeks of vaccination, all piglets were healthy, and the immune response reached 94.85%. Avac CEO Nguyen Van Diep recommends using Avac ASF vaccine for fattening pigs at 8-10 weeks of age, but not for older pigs (gilts, sows and boars) . He told Asian Agribiz that vaccine protection could last 4 months. In the Philippines, local pig producers have welcomed the vaccine news .

"We hope that the governmentinitiates the procurement of the Avac vaccine after successful trials,” Rolando Tambago, President of the Philippine Pork Producers Federation, told Asian Agribiz. Several manufacturers echoed his comment, telling Asian Agribiz that the availability of a vaccine would help the industry see a real recovery. “We hope the government will take immediate action to ensure the safety of vaccines and distribute them to stakeholders as soon as possible,” AGRI member Wilbert Lee said in a statement. “A nationwide vaccination campaign will help our pig producers fight the spread of ASF. We all benefit if we curb ASF in our country. This is a relief not only for the livestock industry, but also for Filipino families who are struggling with commodity prices.”

However, Mr. Tambago said that the current issue is whether the Philippine Food and Drug Administration will accept the test results. However, he hopes the vaccine will be available to Filipino manufacturers this year.