Improved vaccines and stronger surveillance are needed to combat African swine fever as it threatens pig populations around the world, say a team of researchers from The Pirbright Institute.
African swine fever is one of the most serious diseases affecting pigs. It can kill almost all infected animals and has caused devastating losses for farmers, businesses and national economies across Europe, Asia and Africa.
Although there is no risk to human health, ASF outbreaks have a major impact on food production and livelihoods. As the disease continues to spread, researchers are working to develop vaccines that can help protect pigs and reduce its impact.
Writing a commentary in Emerging Microbes and Infections, the Pirbright scientists highlight both the progress made in African swine fever vaccine development and the challenges faced before vaccines can be used safely and effectively on a wider scale.
Hope from new vaccines
For many years, developing a vaccine against ASF proved extremely difficult because the virus is unusually large and complex. Recently, researchers have made significant progress with a type of vaccine known as a live attenuated vaccine. These vaccines use a weakened version of the virus that can stimulate an immune response without causing severe disease. Several of these vaccines have shown promising results, and three have now been licensed for use in Vietnam. They are considered an important step forward in the global fight against ASF.
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