New African Swine Fever Vaccines Close to Approval After Successful Testing in Vietnam

African swine fever vaccines tested in Vietnam are close to approval, researchers announced. This is a major breakthrough in the fight against a disease that is wreaking havoc on pig farms around the world.

African swine fever has disrupted the global pork market for years. Between 2018 and 2019, about half of China’s pig population disappeared, causing losses estimated at more than $100 billion.

After decades of failed attempts due to the complexity of the virus, two vaccines developed by US scientists and tested by Vietnamese companies are showing “very promising” results, Gregorio Torres, head of the World Organization’s science department, told Reuters. for Animal Health (WOAH).

“We’ve never been this close to getting a vaccine that works,” Torres said.

Both vaccines have received approval in Vietnam for commercial use in a pilot program. The next step will be national authorisation, the first for an African swine fever vaccine, and after that approval for worldwide marketing can be sought.

The vaccines were tested in Vietnam, where swine fever is a constant threat. In the past two years, swine fever has appeared in nearly 50 countries and caused an estimated 1.3 million deaths among pigs, WOAH said in a briefing last week.

Currently, there are no major outbreaks, but specialists warn of a possible return of the epidemic.