By Stephanie Sevillano | Philippine News Agency
The first government-controlled vaccination against African swine fever (ASF) will push through on August 30, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Thursday.
“All systems go tayo for the vaccination sa Lobo, Batangas,” DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said in an interview.
“Iyong mga na-test natin na baboy prior to vaccination ay negative and healthy. Matutuloy iyong bakuna natin bukas,” he added.
De Mesa said the DA – Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) will prioritize smallhold backyard hog raisers in Lobo.
Vaccination will also be clustered to ensure the quality of vaccines, with each vial equivalent to 50 doses, he added.
“Doon sila dapat sa mga farm nila, doon mo sila babakunahan. Dapat strategic kasi may temperature requirement din ’yong bakuna,” De Mesa said.
For the first batch of ASF government-controlled vaccination, 10,000 doses of emergency-procured vaccines will be used.
De Mesa, meanwhile, said an additional 150,000 doses of the AVAC live vaccines are expected to arrive in the country next week.
He, however, said the succeeding vaccines would have to undergo the government’s regular bidding and procurement process.
Other areas eyed for the next vaccine rollouts are red zones or barangays with active ASF cases in Quezon, Rizal, Laguna, Occidental Mindoro, and North Cotabato.
