HANOI, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam has officially approved the use of two locally-made vaccines against African swine fever, local media reported on Tuesday.
In a recent document, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development allowed localities to use the vaccines based on the disease situation in their area, and evaluate the effectiveness following the vaccination, local newspaper Vietnam News reported.
The two vaccines that will be used, also the world's first commercial vaccines against the deadly disease, are NAVET-ASFVAC and AVAC ASF LIVE, which have been approved for circulation, the newspaper said.
Prior to the approval, a pilot program had been conducted with over 600,000 vaccine shots administered in farms across Vietnam. Results in July 2023 show that on average, more than 95 percent of the vaccinated pigs have a high antibody response and pigs receiving the vaccine are in good health, according to the newspaper.
The Department of Animal Health will provide support to localities and businesses in vaccine use and quality control, as well as coordination with experts on vaccine development for different types of pigs of different ages, as well as effectiveness evaluation, the newspaper said. ■
