In addition to the economic toll, ASF has led to significant job losses, reduced investments and incomes, and hindered progress toward national food security goals.
In response, the DA has launched a three-year vaccine development program through the newly established vaccine unit of the Center for Transboundary Animal Diseases (CenTrAD), with a budget allocation of ₱151 million (approx. $2.6 million).
This modern facility is dedicated to developing vaccines that can immunize animals against infectious diseases. The budget also includes funding for the country's first Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory, which enables research on dangerous pathogens, both local and exotic, that can cause severe diseases through airborne transmission.
The goal of the program is to produce vaccine prototypes for ASF, AI, and FMD by 2028 or earlier.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. emphasized that while international vaccines are available, those developed locally using indigenous virus strains are often more effective in preventing outbreaks.
"A dedicated facility like the CenTrAD vaccine unit is crucial to mitigating the economic losses caused by ASF and AI and protecting our livestock from FMD," he said.
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