Livestockers are still skeptical
"It is necessary to clarify the question "why are vaccines good but people are not vaccinated?" The price of live pigs is 60,000 - 70,000 VND/kg while vaccination is only over 60,000 VND/dose, but farmers are cautious and hesitant to use it. This is the fault of the veterinary agency that has not really taken part in the propaganda so that people can understand, understand correctly and trust and use it" - Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien said.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, from the beginning of 2025 to the beginning of August, there were 972 cases of African swine fever in 718/3321 communes and wards in 33/34 provinces and cities (after the merger), the number of dead and destroyed pigs was 100.519 pigs.
According to Mr. Phan Quang Minh - Deputy Director of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), one of the reasons for the widespread outbreak is that although there is a vaccine to prevent African swine fever, the vaccination rate is still low. In large farms that proactively vaccinate and apply biosafety measures, no epidemics have occurred.
Since 2022, Vietnam has successfully produced the African swine fever vaccine and put it into commercial circulation. However, up to now, livestock farmers are still skeptical and have not yet implemented widespread epidemic vaccination.
Sharing with Lao Dong, Mr. Nguyen The Anh, Hoa My Cooperative (Hoa Xa commune, Hanoi) said that many livestock farmers do not really have faith in the vaccine.
"Farm with conditions should proactively vaccinate, while more difficult farms have not yet applied. The vaccine helps reduce the risk and limit damage, but does not ensure absolute disease prevention, so many people are still quite hesitant" - Mr. The Anh said.
Need to actively promote the African swine fever vaccine
According to the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Vietnam currently has 3 licensed African swine fever vaccines: NAVET-ASFVAC (Navetco), AVAC ASF live (AVAC Vietnam) and Dacovac-ASF2 Dacovet). To date, businesses have provided 7.8 million doses, of which Navetco produces 2.5 million doses (exported 7,000 doses), AVAC produces over 4.4 million doses (exported 516,000 doses).
Preliminary report of specialized management agencies of localities, in the period from 2023 to 2025, 1,047,097 pigs were vaccinated against African swine fever in 45 provinces/cities (before the merger). Of which, the number of pigs that died after vaccination accounted for a low rate, only about 0.1%.
The results of the genetic arrangement show that if in 2023, the pathogenic virus strain is Genotype II (a strain with an effective protective vaccine) accounting for 84.6%, the race combined with Genotype I-II accounts for only 15.4%. However, by 2024, the rate had increased to 36% and is now at 45%, the new virus causes more deaths in pigs and there is no effective vaccine to prevent the disease.
In this situation, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has directed relevant agencies to coordinate with businesses to scientifically research and explain the genetic order of the new virus strain to soon have an effective vaccine.
"With vaccines, the vaccination rate must still reach over 80% to meet the requirements. Without mass immunity, we will not be able to control the epidemic" - Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien affirmed.
In the coming time, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine will coordinate with domestic and foreign enterprises and scientists to evaluate and improve vaccines, ensuring suitable varieties to prevent and control African swine fever in the long term. At the same time, promote propaganda about the dangers of the epidemic, disease prevention measures and instructions on the use of vaccines for pigs.
