Da Nang proposes mandatory vaccination against African swine fever

The proposal was made by Tran Nam Hung, vice-chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee, during a working session between the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and central Vietnamese provinces on Thursday.

According a report released by the municipal administration, ASF has rapidly spread through 52 of the city's 94 communes and wards.

Over 11,000 sick pigs weighing nearly 686 metric tons have been culled to date.

Only one commune has been free of the disease over the past 22 days, while one ward has gone 10 days without a new infection, and another seven days without any new cases.

Hung acknowledged the high risk of further outbreaks due to the large pig population and the dominance of small-scale farming, which accounts for about 80 percent of local pig production.

These scattered operations make disease control difficult, especially as many farmers neglect basic biosecurity measures.

He added that some localities lack veterinary staff, hampering outbreak response efforts.

ASF first hit Da Nang in 2019 and has recurred annually since.

Although the ministry's Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health has licensed vaccines for pigs over four weeks old, ASF has not yet been included in the list of diseases requiring mandatory vaccination.

"Prevention is better than cure. ASF returns every one to two years. We propose it be added to the list of dangerous animal diseases requiring mandatory vaccination," Hung said.

Addressing the meeting, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien said Vietnam currently has around 31 million pigs, with pork accounting for 65 percent of total meat value and a production volume of 8.2 million metric tons in 2024.

Pork remains a staple food and significantly influences the consumer price index and overall agricultural growth, Tien added.

He warned that without strict and timely control of the ongoing ASF wave, the consequences could be severe.

A previous outbreak once drove pork prices to VND105,000 (US$4) per kilogram and took two years to recover.