Why is the rate of vaccination against swine fever so low?

It is estimated that Vietnam currently has about 2 million pig farming households, but so far only about 35,000 households have used African swine fever vaccines, equivalent to less than 1.8% of the total number of households.

On June 19 in Hanoi, a seminar on African swine fever vaccine - what to do to make farmers trust and use it took place, organized by the Vietnam Farmers' Association .

Answering the question of why the vaccination rate is so low, even though the vaccine has been licensed for circulation and widely deployed nationwide since 2022, Mr. Phan Quang Minh, Deputy Director of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine ( Ministry of Agriculture and Environment ) said that the main reason lies in the inadequate awareness of livestock farmers about the danger of the disease as well as the protective role of the vaccine.

Many households do not really understand the effects of vaccines, while information about the protective effectiveness has not been widely disseminated. However, Mr. Minh also frankly pointed out that the current cost of vaccines of about 60,000 VND/dose is also a certain barrier, especially for small-scale livestock farmers.

According to statistics from specialized agencies, since the vaccine was officially put into use in May 2022, the country has produced nearly 7 million doses, of which more than 4 million doses have been supplied domestically and nearly 1 million doses have been exported to a number of countries. However, to date, only about 35,000 livestock households nationwide have been vaccinated against African swine fever (in 45 provinces and cities).

Representatives of the veterinary agency said that the vaccine produced in Vietnam is considered highly effective, achieving a protection rate of 97-99%, far exceeding the minimum requirement of 80%. All outbreaks recorded from 2022 to present have occurred in unvaccinated pigs (this clearly shows the effectiveness in practice).

Mr. Minh also said that Vietnam currently has 3 types of vaccines licensed for commercial circulation, and has even initially exported them to some countries in Southeast Asia. Vaccine production technology is strictly implemented, with consultation with international experts, ensuring safety and sterility standards.

The epidemic situation has improved significantly so far. If the epidemic broke out widely in 2019-2020, the country now has only 126 outbreaks in 16 provinces and cities, less than 21 days have passed. In the first 6 months of 2025, 251 outbreaks were detected, a decrease of 61.79% compared to the same period in 2024, and the number of pigs culled also decreased by 81.27%.

However, to overcome the low vaccination rate and prevent the African swine fever from recurring, Mr. Minh said that it is necessary to strengthen communication so that people understand the risks of the disease and the benefits of vaccines, to be transparent about the effectiveness of protection, and to have a price support policy for small-scale farmers. Vaccination should be considered a key part of the national strategy for preventing animal diseases.

ANGEL

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/vi-sao-ty-le-tiem-vaccine-dich-ta-heo-rat-thap-post800132.html