Now Reading: ICAR develops India’s first indigenous African swine fever vaccine
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ICAR develops India’s first indigenous African swine fever vaccine
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research has developed India’s first indigenous vaccine for African swine fever, a disease that can kill nearly all affected pigs. Scientists at ICAR’s National Institute of High…
The Story in Brief
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research has developed India’s first indigenous vaccine for African swine fever, a disease that can kill nearly all affected pigs. Scientists at ICAR’s National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal used an attenuated ASFV Genotype II virus. The vaccine has completed laboratory tests covering safety, purity, genetic stability, immune response and protection, according to the Union Agriculture Ministry.
The vaccine is recommended for healthy pigs over eight weeks and requires a 1 ml injection followed by a booster after 14 days. ASF has spread across Indian States and Union Territories since its first detection in 2020. Outbreaks in Assam caused estimated losses of Rs 276 crore, while cases in Mizoram affected 11,382 households and caused estimated losses of Rs 982 crore, the Ministry said.
The Indian Opinion
The announcement should not become a claim that the pig sector is already safe. The vaccine has completed laboratory evaluation, but farmers will need affordable supplies, reliable cold-chain delivery and field evidence across different pig populations. Claims that culling and biosecurity no longer matter would also be careless, since disease control will still depend on early diagnosis and movement restrictions. The useful measure now is whether vaccination reduces deaths and household losses in the next major outbreak.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
