DA: Up to 5 countries could supply additional ASF vaccines

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is considering to secure additional vaccines from four to five countries that would not only protect hogs from African Swine Fever (ASF), but may inoculate even  breeders.

"Isang... galing ng USA, isang galing Korea, isa galing ng Vietnam at isa galing ng Thailand na ipro-produce sa Taiwan at meron pang isa [na posibleng vaccine supplier] na hindi ko pa masabi dahil wala pa akong papeles na nakita," said Agriculture Assistant Secretary for Poultry and Swine Dante Palabrica.

(One of the possible vaccine suppliers is from the USA, one is from Korea, one is from Vietnam, one is from Thailand that will be produced by Taiwan. There is another that I cannot discuss yet because I have yet to see the corresponding papers.)

Palabrica said the arriving ASF vaccines should be proven effective and safe, undergoing the requisite processes before gaining approval.

"Ang proseso ay mapatunayan na effective ito na puwedeng gamitin sa inahin at sa grower (The process would show that these are effective for use on breeding mother hog and the grower)," Palabrica said.

Meanwhile, the DA and its attached agency, the Bureau of Animal Industry, are doing hog clustering in Lobo, Batangas in preparation for the vaccination.

"Ang isang vial ay 50 doses. Kailangan namin na igrupo sila ng 50 para kapag binakunahan,
walang masayang," Palabrica explained.

(One vial has 50 doses. We have to group the hogs into 50 so that no doses would be wasted when we roll out the vaccination.)

Reports of the initial vaccination activities will be released to the Food and Drug Administration.

Once the program is considered successful, the program will continue.

An initial batch of some 10,000 ASF vaccines has arrived in the Philippines to help mitigate the impact of the disease on the country's meat supply.

Some hog raisers have expressed concerns that the price per dose of the ASF vaccine may affect the pork prices in the market.

Government agencies are preparing the possible prevalence of various diseases among humans and livestock, including ASF, ahead of the La Niña phenomenon, which is expected to bring intense rain and flooding. — VDV, GMA Integrated News