DA chief says ASF risk now higher as rain, floods hit outbreak areas
After getting FDA approval for Vietnam's vaccine against African Swine Fever, the Department of Agriculture will be rolling out 600,000 doses in the coming months as rain and floods threaten to cause new outbreaks
MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture (DA) sees higher risk of African Swine Fever (ASF) affecting the country’s swine industry as the rainy season makes it easier for the virus to spread via flooding in areas where pigs were culled and buried.
“ASF has always been there, hindi naman nawala ‘yan e. Pero since tag-ulan at sa mga flooding, the chances of it na lalabas ay malaki na ulit because nasa groundwater na ‘yan, nabaon dati,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. in a joint press conference with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where they announced the “controlled rollout” of Vietnamese-made vaccines to fight ASF starting third quarter of 2024.
(ASF has always been there, it never disappeared. But since it’s the rainy season and there’s flooding, the chances of it coming out again is big because the virus is in the groundwater, where it was previously buried.)
He said there were already signs of ASF possibly reappearing in Batangas and Mindoro island, although he said there was “no reason to panic as of the moment.”
The difference now, he said, was that he expected the vaccines that the Department of Agriculture (DA) would be procuring possibly next month could help lower the risk of ASF outbreaks.
“We’re hopeful na, at least ngayon, may panlaban na tayo kung sakaling magkaroon ng major outbreak again. That’s why bibilisan natin ‘yung pag-procure nito dahil tuloy-tuloy na ‘yung ulan,” Tiu Laurel said.
(We’re hopeful that, at least now, we have a weapon in case there’s a major outbreak again. That’s why we will speed up the procurement of this vaccine because the rain will continue.)
He said areas susceptible to ASF would be part of “red or pink zones,” where Vietnam’s AVAC vaccine will be rolled out under controlled conditions.
Veterinarian Dr. Constante Palabrica has seen how floods affect areas previously hit by ASF, given his long years of working in commercial farms for more than 40 years before he was appointed last March by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to the DA, where he is now assistant secretary for swine and poultry.
“Ang binaon kong baboy sa Robina [Farms] ay libo-libo. Kasi tinamaan ako e, I have to be honest about it. ‘Pag binaon mo ‘yung baboy, ‘pag bumagyo, aakyat ‘yung patay na baboy, maglolobo, makikita mo ‘yung paa, ulo. Ang mabigat sa ASF, dekada bago mamatay ‘yung mikrobyo, ‘yung virus na ‘yan. In my 44 years experience, ngayon lang ako nakakita ng ganitong sakit, na talagang aatras ka. Uubusin ang baboy mo. So, ‘pag may binaon ka, bumagyo, lahat bubungkalin ‘yan. ‘Pag bungkal niyan, kakalat na ‘yan – sa daan, sa mga biyaheros,” he said.
(I buried thousands of pigs when I was with Robina Farms. Because we were hit, I have to be honest about it. When you bury the pig, when there’s a storm, the dead pigs will move up, they’ll bloat, and you’ll see their feet, head. What’s bad about ASF, it takes decades before the microbes die, that virus. In my 44 years experience, it’s only now that I’ve seen this kind of virus, where you’ll really retreat. It’ll wipe out your pigs. So, if you bury the pigs and there’s a typhoon, when they’re tilled, it will scatter on the roads, carried by travelers.)
ASF first emerged in 2019 with devastating impact on commercial farms and backyard growers in countries that got hit, including the Philippines. ASF outbreaks led to mandatory culling even of hogs that were not infected since a single infection would wipe out a whole drove.
The Philippines hog population declined from 12.7 million in 2018 to 9.9 million in September 2023, according to the DA, causing higher pork prices. As of July 26, the DA’s Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) has identified active cases in 45 towns in 18 provinces.
Tiu Laurel said the DA has a budget of P350 million for the procurement of around 600,000 doses of Vietnam’s AVAC vaccine possibly by August. Around 150,000 initial doses may be ready by September this year. A public bidding will be held for the remaining 450,000 doses, he said.
He said he has visited Vietnam twice and personally witnessed that the vaccine is already being used there.
The vaccines will be given free to select hog farms, with priority to those in red and pink zones identified by the DA.
“We prioritize eligible clustered backyard farms, semi-commercial farms, and commercial enterprises, aiming to mitigate ASF’s impact and stabilize the swine industry,” he said.
Vietnam vaccine
Samuel Zacate, director general of the FDA, said his office granted Vietnam’s AVAC vaccine a certificate of product registration under monitored release (CPR MR), for restricted use only by the BAI. The CPR MR is valid for two years and subject to “strict monitoring and annual evaluation.”
He said the Vietnamese vaccine underwent clinical trials in 2023 and that the BAI found it to be “100% safe and efficacious.” Independent experts will recommend either to revoke or proceed with the vaccine, depending on the result of the controlled rollout. It would only be given a full certificate of registration if the results are positive.
Zacate warned traders against selling the vaccine, saying the FDA would run after them in case this happens.
Tiu Laurel said that a best-case scenario would see the vaccine working in the red and pink zones and achieving herd immunity. This would be a “confidence-building measure” that would inspire businesses to reinvest and repopulate their swine, which could lead to lower pork prices in 2025, he said.
The DA said BAI is finalizing with stakeholders the guidelines for the controlled use of ASF vaccines, after which public consultations will be held to “ensure the guidelines are comprehensive and effectively implemented.”
The BAI will evaluate the vaccine’s efficacy based on a “predefined criteria before endorsing them to the FDA for final approval and registration,” it said. – Rappler.com