Tien said the success enhances the prestige of Vietnamese breeding and veterinary medicine globally. More than 50 percent of farms in Vietnam are small scale, so vaccines are critical to protect the industry, which is the engine of the middle class. This is also a chance for Vietnam to export vaccines to other countries, he said, adding that many countries have contacted the ministry and showed interest in the new developments.

The successful production of African swine fever vaccine as well as other veterinary treatments reveals Vietnam’s ever-increasing capacity in veterinary medicine, he stated.

With the production of NAVET-ASFVAC, a product of Navetco National Veterinary Joint Stock Company, Vietnam has become the first country to develop a commercial vaccine against African swine fever that delivers 6 months of immunity and meets the technical requirements of the industry.

The vaccine was developed from a genetically modified strain of the virus by deleting the previously uncharacterised gene, I177L.

Tien said that the ministry will closely supervise the pilot injection of 600,000 doses of the vaccine before allowing it to be used across the country.

Former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said that vaccination will be a key measure to ensure the food chain, while paving the way for Vietnam to successfully implement the livestock development strategy in the 2021-2030 period with a vision to 2045.

African swine fever is a contagious and deadly viral disease affecting swine of all ages. The disease was first detected in Vietnam in February 2019. Within seven months, it spread to all 63 cities and provinces in the country, forcing the nation to kill around 6 million pigs, or 20 percent of the total hog herd. The total losses of the debacle were estimated at 30 trillion VND (1.29 billion USD)./.