“ASF vaccine rollout by Q3”— DA, FDA
The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the rollout of the vaccine against African Swine Fever (ASF) by the third quarter of 2024.
In a joint press conference, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr. confirmed that the DA, through the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), is “finalizing guidelines with agricultural and veterinary stakeholders for the controlled use of ASF vaccines, with public consultations to follow.”
The rollout will be strictly voluntary and will prioritize eligible commercial farms, semi-commercial enterprises, and clustered backyard farms—most likely in the Red and Pink Zones—under strict supervision of the DA-BAI.
By virtue of the DA Administrative Circular No. 2, series of 2022, the Amended National ASF Zoning and Movement Plan defines Red Zones as municipalities or cities with confirmed ASF cases that spread to other barangays in the same municipality or city within 15 days, while Pink Zones include the Metro Manila as well as cities and municipalities where ASF is not detected but demarcated immediately around the Red Zone.
As of July 14, the National ASF Prevention and Control Program (NASFPCP) of the DA-BAI reported 403 Red Rones and 737 Pink Zones in the Philippines.
Out of the Department’s target of 600,000 doses, around 150,000 doses of A-VAC ASF Live are expected to arrive in the Philippines by the third quarter of 2024. On its official website, the AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine is developed by the AVAC Viet Nam., JSC and is described as “a freeze-dried, attenuated vaccine that is cultivated on the DMAC [Diep’s Macrophage cell] cell line.” The said vaccine is intended for pigs that are four weeks old and above with a recommended single-dose administration and a protective immunity period of at least five months.
The vaccines, as explained by FDA Director General Samuel Zacate, underwent clinical trials for two years and have been proven safe and efficacious based on the DA-BAI monitoring and FDA regulations.
“It only has a two-year Certificate of Product Registration (CPR) under monitored release with specific conditions and is subject to annual evaluation. So whatever happens, it will be
