Lobo, Batangas – The Department of Agriculture (DA) continues to uphold its belief in the efficacy of the AVAC live vaccine against African swine fever (ASF), despite recent reports of five fatalities among the 41 vaccinated hogs in Lobo as of September 9.
According to Philippines News Agency, DA Assistant Secretary for Swine and Poultry Constante Palabrica emphasized the importance of not jumping to conclusions based on these initial results. “For me, to say it’s not effective, it’s not scientific. We need to observe all pigs that we will vaccinate,” Palabrica stated. He added that all data gathered would be analyzed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make science-based decisions. “Let’s not have a knee-jerk reaction over only five hogs. Let the pigs talk. So, I will reiterate, I’m still confident that the vaccine will work.”
Palabrica explained that adverse effects were only observed in one of the two initial farms, attributing the issues to specific conditions such as respiratory problems in the hogs, inadequate biosecurity measures, and the impact of heavy rains and sudden weather changes. He also highlighted the possible influence of viruses from nearby buried culled hogs.
Conversely, the second farm, where 29 hogs were vaccinated, reported zero fatalities and morbidity, demonstrating a potentially positive response to the vaccine under different conditions.
Palabrica further detailed that while only healthy and ASF-negative hogs are vaccinated, maintaining strict biosecurity is crucial for building effective immunity against ASF. “It will take seven to 14 days for it to have a 40 percent immune system response. And it will take 28 days to develop a 90 to 95 percent immune response,” he explained.
In addition to ongoing vaccine trials, the DA is considering indemnification for affected hog raisers, having recently adjusted its indemnification rates. Moreover, the DA plans to distribute 10,000 doses of the AVAC live vaccine in Batangas and aims for a broader distribution in La Union, Quezon, Mindoro, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Cebu with an upcoming procurement of 150,000 doses.
For the designated red zones—areas still grappling with ASF—the DA has allocated approximately PHP 350 million to procure 600,000 doses of ASF vaccines. As of September 6, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) identified 472 barangays in 109 municipalities across 31 provinces as red zones.