On Wednesday, Vietnam announced that it had developed a vaccine for African swine flu. It aims to be the first country to commercially manufacture and export the vaccine.
African swine flu, which is one of the most destructive livestock diseases, was discovered in Vietnam in February 2019. It forced Vietnam to slaughter around 20% of its hogherd last year.
It is believed to have originated in Africa and spread to Europe and Asia. This virus has already killed hundreds of millions of animals worldwide. Humans are not at risk from African swine flu.
Phung Duc Tien, deputy agriculture minister, stated in a statement that “this is a landmark of the veterinary sector.”
The vaccine provides immunity for six months and will protect the hog-raising industry as well as pig production worldwide.
The vaccine is currently in development in partnership with experts from the United States. Five clinical trials have been conducted.
Tien stated that the Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed its safety and efficacy.
Tien said, “This success opens great hopes and there is huge potential to export African swine flu vaccine manufactured in Vietnam.”
He didn’t give a timeframe or estimate of Vietnam’s production capacity.
While the swine flu outbreak in Vietnam has ended, which allowed farmers to rebuild their hog herds in Vietnam, some farms are still being affected by the virus in other countries.
