Three new African Swine Fever detection technologies revealed amid vaccine concerns

Three new technologies to detect and manage African Swine Fever have been unveiled in the Philippines amid ongoing concerns about a vaccine imported from Vietnam.

African Swine Fever, which causes hemorrhagic fever in pigs, has had a devastating effect on the country's swine industry, with outbreaks occurring in 76 out of 82 provinces since 2019 and six provinces recording active cases last month.

Vietnam is also battling a serious outbreak, with thousands of pigs infected.

The Philippines' Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and Filipino-owned life science company BioAssets Corporation have developed a rapid DNA extraction kit and real-time detection kit for farmers.

A mobile biocontainment laboratory, developed by BioAssets Corporation, is designed to support rapid response to potential outbreaks and improve disease surveillance, enabling farmers to diagnose the disease on-site.

DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum, Jr. said the interventions demonstrated how science, technology and innovation can offer "holistic solutions to pressing animal health challenges" impacting food security.

However, Fermin Diaz, editor of the online magazine Livestock and Meat Business, told SciDev.Net: "The way I look at it, it seems that these new tools are just palliatives … so that the DOST can say that they are addressing the matter.

"Those kits have very minimal contribution to the overall diagnostic aspect of disease management."

African Swine Fever is a highly contagious viral disease affecting domestic and wild pigs, with mortality rates as high as 100%. It has caused huge economic losses and disruption to the pork supply chain, threatening food security across the region.

If left unchecked, there is a risk that the virus could mutate, potentially making it more transmissible or virulent.

The Philippine government, with the assistance of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), has adopted a three-pronged strategy to combat the virus in the last year, focused on prevention, control and vaccination.