October 17, 2019

Japan allows for preventive vaccination against swine fever

Japan's disease prevention guidelines were revised Tuesday to allow for preventive vaccination against swine fever, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Taku Eto told The Japan News.

Vaccinations are expected to start as early as this month in Gifu, Gunma and eight other prefectures where pigs at farms or wild boars have tested positive for swine fever.

These prefectures will be designated as areas with high risk of swine fever transmission from wild boars to pigs where vaccinations are recommended. The decision to vaccinate will be made by the governors of the designated prefectures.

The agriculture ministry will however in principle not allow vaccinations in prefectures that have not seen cases of outbreaks but have requested vaccination permits, such as Tochigi, due to concerns that new cases of infections will not be tracked as vaccinated pigs will become indistinguishable from infected ones.

"We''ll review (the designation of vaccination-recommended areas) as needed," Eto said at a press conference.