October 10, 2024

 

Philippines accelerates swine vaccination to combat ASF spread

The Philippines' Department of Agriculture (DA) is ramping up efforts to accelerate the vaccination of swine against African swine fever (ASF) following promising results from initial tests, Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.

 

In an interview, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Constante Palabrica shared that the department is working on strategies to expand vaccination coverage to include more swine across the country.

 

The government plans to purchase 500,000 doses of the ASF vaccine from Vietnam this month, with an additional 100,000 doses expected before the year ends.

 

Palabrica explained that the vaccination programme has experienced delays due to protocols, including selecting swine for study and collecting their blood samples. He noted that the timeline from choosing the swine to administering the vaccine takes around three weeks.

 

So far, nearly 400 swine in two towns in Batangas have been vaccinated by the department.

 

The initial vaccination of 41 swine took place in Lobo town, the site of the ASF resurgence, on August 30. Over the weekend, the vaccination efforts were extended to grower swine at the International Training Centre on Pig Husbandry, located in Lipa City.

 

The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) reported that the vaccinated swine in Lobo exhibited an average enzyme-linked immunoassay (Elisa) percentage blocking of 90%, indicating strong immune responses to the vaccines. The Elisa test measures the pigs' antibody levels following vaccination.

 

"In veterinary, we call it zero conversion. It means the pig's body is converting the vaccine into antibodies," Palabrica explained.

 

The DA expects herd immunity among hogs in Batangas to reach at least 95% within the next 30 days. Palabrica expressed confidence in the effectiveness of the vaccines and hopes the programme will convince the public, including vaccine sceptics, of their success.

 

As of October 2, 2024, the BAI reported active ASF cases in 14 regions and 30 provinces across the Philippines, including Abra, Ifugao, Kalinga, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Cagayan, Isabela, Tarlac, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, Rizal, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, and Catanduanes.

 

Other provinces affected include Masbate, Sorsogon, Negros Occidental, Biliran, Samar, Zamboanga del Norte, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Sur, and Maguindanao del Norte.

 

-      Philippine Daily Inquirer