Berlin (VNA) – Vietnam has developed the world's first commercial safe andeffective vaccine against African swine fever (ASF), German newspaperAgrarheute (Agriculture Today) reported on July 1.
In its article, Agrarheute noted that the ASF epidemic is causing great concern to pig farmersglobally.
However, Vietnam has recently announced that it has achieved a breakthrough asit had successfully produced an effective vaccine which is the first commercialone globally to prevent the ASF epidemic, it said.
The newspaper cited the confirmation given by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in an official letter sent to the Department of AnimalHealth of Vietnam that emphasised the safety and effectiveness of theNAVET-ASFVAC vaccine against ASF developed by Vietnam.
Previously, the Vietnamese Ministryof Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) held a press conference to announcethe successful production of a vaccine against ASF.
The NAVET-ASFVAC vaccine produced bythe National Veterinary JSC (NAVETCO) is the world's first commercial vaccineagainst this disease.
The newspaper quoted Deputy Minister of MARD Phung Duc Tienas saying that from February 2020, the research and production of vaccines hasbeen carried out officially with the co-operation of US experts. From July 2020, the MARD permitted the import of attenuated ASF virus strains forresearch and production of ASF vaccines in Vietnam.
It is expected that MARD willofficially announce and license the distribution of ASF vaccine in early July.
ASF is a dangerous infectious disease caused by a virus in pigs, firstappearing in Africa back in 1921. The disease spreads quickly, causing diseasein all ages and types of pigs, including domestic pig and wild boar. Mostnotably, the disease has a mortality rate of up to 100%./.