African swine fever vaccine could be on the market next year

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African swine fever vaccine could be on the market next year

Researchers have never been closer to developing an African swine fever vaccine. 

Swine Health Information Center director Dr. Paul Sundberg says if he was asked two years ago how soon an ASF vaccine could be developed, it would’ve been about a decade.

“There’s been a lot of progress within the last few years. And although it’s not going to be probably this fall, but maybe in 2022 we’re going to see the first opportunity to get a safe, effective vaccine out on the market, if not shortly after that.”

He tells Brownfield the threat of African swine fever reaching North America is lessening.

“And the reason is that we understand much more about it. We’ve done a lot of research on feed transmission and those types of things, so (that) has helped.”

Sundberg says customs and border protection is more sensitized to how ASF could be illegally imported, and USDA has put in a lot of work on preparing and responding.

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