After more than a year since the administration of 600,000 doses of ASF vaccines on pigs in over 40 provinces and cities nationwide – under the supervision of the Department of Animal Health – showed high efficacy of 95 per cent, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has approved their use on a larger scale.

The two products involved are the NAVET-ASFVAC vaccine, made by Navetco Central Veterinary Medicine JSC, and the AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine, produced by AVAC Vietnam JSC.

Nguyen Van Long, director of the Department of Animal Health said, “These two ASF vaccine producers are working with local authorities to deploy vaccination campaigns for pig herds. A number of businesses, including C.P. Vietnam, have registered to use the ASF vaccines on their pigs.”

“In April and May, an expert delegation from the US Department of Agriculture implemented an independent assessment based on the results of research, production, testing, marketing authorisation, and supervision of vaccine administration in Vietnam. The assessment confirmed that the nation's research and production results for the ASF vaccines are similar to those seen on the US side,” Long continued.

“The evaluation and control of the quality of the vaccines – sterility, safety, and effectiveness – in Vietnam is in line with international standards, and the results are submitted to the World Organization for Animal Health for approval,” he added.

The authorities and vaccine producers are preparing for the export of these products to many countries after receiving the positive feedback. In the short term, these two producers will export 2 million doses to the Philippines and Indonesia between August and October this year.

In response to orders from other countries, Vietnam has provided support and sent experts to collaborate in the organisation of vaccination campaigns.

Having seen all the vaccinated pigs develop an antibody immune response with the NAVET-ASFVAC vaccine, the Dominican Republic appreciated the support from MARD and other specialised units and enterprises from Vietnam. It hopes to continue receiving assistance and then purchase the vaccines for use in the country.

A vaccine produced by Dabaco Group has fallen behind schedule, although in early 2022, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien told VIR that the testing was complete.

The final step is to finalise the procedures for releasing the products, which were expected to be marketed in late March or early in the second quarter of 2022.

Nguyen Van Tue, deputy general director of Dabaco, informed VIR that there is still a lot of work to carry out, and that the group will unveil detailed information once the product is made official.