Locally developed ASF vaccine out by 2023 or 2024, says DOST

The vaccine against African swine fever (ASF) that is being developed by the local research company tapped by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) may be released by the end of 2023 or in  2024, a top official of the agency said Wednesday.

During a Laging Handa briefing, DOST Undersecretary Rowena Guevara said that vaccine for the viral disease infecting pigs and wild boars usually take two years to make.

Thus, the veterinary research and diagnostic laboratory BioAssets Corporation will first develop ASF test kits that may already be out by the end of this year or in early 2023.

“Meron rule ang Department of Agriculture na kapag may isang na-detect lang na baboy na may ASF, isang kilometro, lahat ng baboy do’n papatayin. Kapag 7 kilometers, may rules din sila. Kung magkakaron tayo ng detection kit, hindi na kailangan lahat patayin. Pwede mo nang i-detect kung sinong baboy lang ang may sakit at kailangan natin i-dispatsa,” she said.

(The DA has a rule that all the pigs within the one-kilometer radius have to be killed when one pig is infected with ASF. There is also a different rule for pigs within seven kilometers. If we have a detection kit, there is no need to kill all the pigs. Through this, you can now detect which pigs are sick and have to be killed.)

Guevara said BioAssets Corp. will also establish a mobile laboratory that will be deployed in Mindanao that will directly go to places with suspected ASF cases to easily test if the hogs are really infected.

“Ang mobile laboratory unit na ito ay makakatulong sa mga veterinarians, sa mga farmers para magkaroon ng diagnostics doon sa point para makaresponde agad sa disease outbreak,” she said.

(This mobile laboratory unit will help veterinarians and farmers have diagnostics and respond immediately to the disease outbreak.)

Last month, five barangays in Zamboanga City were placed by authorities in the "red zone" due to confirmed cases of ASF among hogs.

In 2021, the DA said the Philippines is coordinating with the United States for the conduct of vaccine trials against ASF. It also said it is in talks with the Pirbright Institute in the United Kingdom for the same purpose. —KBK, GMA News