Manila: The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday expressed confidence in the efficacy of the AVAC live vaccine against African swine fever (ASF) after five fatalities and one morbidity out of the 41 vaccinated hogs were reported in Lobo as of Sept. 9. 'For me, to say hindi (It's not) effective, it's not scientific. Kasi kailangan we have to observe all other pigs na babakunahan natin (We need to observe all pigs that we will vaccinate),' DA Assistant Secretary for Swine and Poultry Constante Palabrica said in an interview. 'All this data will be accumulated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and from there, we will make science-based decisions. Huwag tayong mag-knee jerk reaction sa lilimang baboy (Let's not have a knee-jerk reaction over only five hogs). Let the pigs talk. So, I will reiterate, I'm still confident that the vaccine will work.' He explained that only one of the two initial farms exhibited negative effects, citing the conditions of the vaccinated hogs, biosecurity measures, and t he effects of heavy rains. 'May respiratory problem iyong baboy. Number two, sila ay tinamaan ng ulan at (The pigs have a respiratory problem. Number two, they were affected by the rains and) sudden change of weather condition,' he said. He also noted the infection pressure in the area due to viruses coming from buried culled hogs near the fence of the affected pigs. The other farm where 29 heads were vaccinated, meanwhile, maintained zero fatality and morbidity. Palabrica explained that although healthy and ASF-negative hogs are only given ASF vaccines, strict biosecurity should still be ensured for them to build immunity against ASF. 'It will take seven to 14 days for it to have 40 percent immune system response. And it will take 28 days para magkaroon ng (for them to develop) 90 to 95 percent immune response,' he said. Meanwhile, he said the DA would study the granting of indemnification to affected hog raisers. The DA earlier raised its indemnification from PHP5,000 to PHP4,000 for piglets, PHP8,00 0 for medium-sized hogs, and PHP12,000 for big ones. For Batangas, the DA eyes to distribute 10,000 doses of AVAC live vaccines, with expansion targeted in La Union, Quezon, Mindoro, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Cebu with the upcoming procurement of 150,000 doses of ASF vaccines. For the red zones across the country, the DA allocated about PHP350 million to procure 600,000 doses of ASF vaccines. As of Sept. 6, the BAI said 472 barangays in 109 municipalities and 31 provinces were still classified as red zones. Source: Philippines News agency
