African swine fever prevention: Need to proactively vaccinate

( Quang Ngai Newspaper) - The effectiveness and safety of the African swine fever (ASF) vaccine produced in Vietnam have been proven in practice. However, mass vaccination still faces many obstacles, of which the cost of the vaccine is a barrier for farmers.

Along with vaccination, biosecurity in livestock farming is the key solution in preventing and controlling African swine fever.

Significant effect
Mr. Vo Thanh Xuan, in Tinh Hiep commune (Son Tinh) shared, at the end of 2023, I participated in a program to test vaccination for pigs to prevent and control ASF. Because this is a new vaccine, and no household in the commune has been vaccinated, at first I was worried about possible risks. But through monitoring, the vaccinated pigs are still healthy and growing well. In my experience, farmers must accurately grasp the health status of the pigs and the pigs must be tested before vaccination to ensure safety after vaccination. In addition, vaccination must be done correctly and in sufficient doses according to the manufacturer's recommendations. After vaccination, pigs must be given electrolytes to prevent fever within 15 days. Thanks to this method, after vaccination, my pigs basically adapted well, only a few had a slight fever.

At the end of 2023, the Provincial Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine coordinated with the Department of Animal Health of Region VI and the authorities of Tinh Hiep commune and Tra Xuan town (Tra Bong) to organize a "demonstration" vaccination of 27 doses of Avac asf live vaccine for 3 herds of pigs (27 pigs) of 3 breeding facilities. The results showed that after 28 days of vaccination, all herds of pigs were healthy and grew normally, with high antibiotic immunity. Head of the Provincial Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine Do Van Chung said that in 2023, ASF epidemic occurred in 23 breeding facilities of 17 communes in 6 districts, towns and cities; killing and destroying 487 pigs. Since the beginning of the year, the ASF epidemic has decreased, but the virus that causes this disease still exists in the environment, with a high risk of the disease appearing and causing harm. Because there is no treatment for ASF, vaccination is an effective solution to prevent the spread and outbreak.

Concerned about price
Although vaccination is known to be the most effective disease prevention solution, most livestock farmers in the province are still hesitant to vaccinate, partly because the vaccine is new and expensive; partly because the post-vaccination risk support policy is unclear.

Mr. Tran Vo, in Cho Chua town (Nghia Hanh) shared that farmers spend money on testing and buying vaccines to vaccinate their pigs, but are still nervous and worried about the losses if any risks occur. Therefore, we have not boldly bought vaccines to vaccinate our pigs.

Currently, there are two types of ASF vaccines in the country, Avac asf live (AVAC Vietnam Joint Stock Company) and Navet-asfvac (of NAVETCO Central Veterinary Medicine Joint Stock Company), which have been granted a certificate of circulation nationwide. In particular, Avac asf live vaccine has been officially allowed to be exported to 5 countries: Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Myanmar since October 2023. This vaccine is registered and recommended for use in pigs from 4 weeks of age and older, only one injection is required, antibodies begin to appear after 10 days of vaccination and the duration of immunity lasts over 5 months, protecting the entire life of pigs.

Head of the Provincial Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Do Van Chung, said that in the past, the Department had implemented the vaccination steps cautiously, starting from a small area, then evaluating and drawing lessons. On that basis, it issued instructions on some technical contents in ASF vaccination before expanding and mass vaccination. In the coming time, the Department will closely coordinate with local authorities to promote propaganda and encourage livestock farmers to vaccinate against ASF, while ensuring conditions for organizing vaccination.

In order for farmers to access vaccines at reasonable prices, local authorities need to urgently complete, approve, and allocate funds to proactively and effectively implement animal disease prevention and control plans in localities in 2024, including allocating funds to purchase ASF vaccines. Thereby, early implementation of large-scale vaccination for pig herds, ensuring that the ASF vaccination rate reaches at least 80% of the total herd at the time of vaccination.

Article and photos: MY HOA

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