African swine fever vaccine trial

In livestock farming, along with biosecurity measures, vaccination is the optimal solution to proactively protect pig herds. Given the complicated developments of African swine fever, promoting vaccination against the disease needs to receive more attention from localities.

Pigs infected with African swine fever were destroyed and buried by authorities according to regulations in village 6, Quang Phong commune (Hai Ha district).

In mid-May 2024, the first outbreak of African swine fever began to appear in Mong Cai City. According to statistics from the Provincial Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine (Department of Agriculture and Rural Development), from May 14 to August 9, 2024, African swine fever occurred in 500 households in 87 villages and areas of 32 communes and wards in 9 localities, including Mong Cai, Dam Ha, Quang Yen, Hai Ha, Tien Yen, Ba Che, Uong Bi, Binh Lieu, Ha Long with a total of 3,661 dead and culled pigs, with a total weight of over 160,000 kg. The assessment of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development also shows that Quang Ninh is one of the provinces and cities with the most serious and persistent epidemics and most of the African swine fever outbreaks are occurring in unvaccinated pig herds in small-scale farms.

According to the monitoring results of the Provincial Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, the rate of African swine fever virus circulation in the environment is about 3% and in favorable weather conditions, the disease will break out in pig herds. Pig herds infected with African swine fever, the mortality rate can be up to 100%, African swine fever virus can survive for a long time in the environment and pork products. In particular, production and livestock in Quang Ninh only meet 40% of domestic consumption, most of which is imported from neighboring localities, so the risk of disease spread is always high. Along with adverse fluctuations in prices of input materials and output products of the livestock industry, African swine fever has once again had a negative impact on the livestock industry. This continues to cause heavy losses to livestock farmers and the state budget.

Testing African swine fever vaccine in Mong Cai City. Photo: Thu Hang (Mong Cai Cultural Center)

Faced with the complicated developments of the epidemic, in July 2024, the Department coordinated with the production unit, AVAC Vietnam Joint Stock Company, to evaluate the vaccine trial in Mong Cai City, a locality with about 15,000 pigs. From July 29 to August 5, 2024, 2,393 pigs in Mong Cai City were vaccinated with the African swine fever vaccine. During the trial vaccination in Hai Xuan and Hai Tien communes (from July 29 to 31), 140 households with a total of 1,698 pigs were vaccinated; in the August 5 vaccination in Hai Yen ward and Hai Dong commune, 41 households with 695 pigs were vaccinated. As of August 9, the herd of pigs vaccinated with the trial vaccine in Hai Tien, Hai Dong communes and Hai Yen ward remained stable, with no incidents occurring after vaccination. In particular, the pig herd in Hai Xuan commune, 7 days after vaccination, showed signs of death, loss of appetite, and poor appetite in 4 households.

As someone who has witnessed his family's pigs being destroyed, Mr. Vuong Van Tan (village 6, Hai Xuan commune, Mong Cai city) understands the danger and insecurity of raising pigs without a vaccine. Therefore, Mr. Tan boldly tested the African swine fever vaccine produced in Vietnam on 10 of his family's pigs with the hope that the successful vaccination will open up a new direction in pig farming.

In addition to Mong Cai City, Ha Long City has also implemented African swine fever vaccination in Le Loi and Thong Nhat communes since August 2, 2024. Up to now, the vaccinated pigs have been stable, with no incidents after vaccination. Ms. Chu Thi Thu Thuy, Head of the Provincial Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, said: After vaccination, the Department closely coordinated with the locality and livestock owners to implement monitoring and supervision measures for 21 days and implement technical measures and handle risks after vaccination. Through the implementation of experimental injection of African swine fever vaccine in Mong Cai and Ha Long, the aim is to evaluate the protective effectiveness of African swine fever vaccine on pigs in the field, contributing to ensuring livestock safety and production development. If the level of protection and safety is high, the Department will report to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to advise the Provincial People's Committee on large-scale vaccination implementation.

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