Vietnam is dealing with a worsening outbreak of African swine fever (ASF), with state media reporting that the variety of contaminated pigs has greater than tripled in simply two weeks, triggering pressing authorities intervention and elevating contemporary issues for international pork provide chains.
As of early August, 972 ASF outbreaks have been recorded nationwide—up sharply from 514 in mid-July. The variety of pigs contaminated has soared from 30,000 to over 100,000, in keeping with Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture.
“ASF has damaged out on a really giant scale, spreading throughout the nation, severely affecting the livestock trade, particularly the availability of pork,” stated Nguyen Xuan Duong, chairman of the Animal Husbandry Affiliation of Vietnam. “No province is protected from the illness.”
This surge in instances has prompted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to challenge an pressing directive calling on all provinces and related businesses to take instant motion to comprise the virus. The federal government fears the illness may disrupt home meals provides and additional destabilize the pork market.
ASF has had devastating results on international pork manufacturing during the last decade. In the course of the 2018–2019 outbreak, China misplaced almost half its pig herd, resulting in international losses estimated at over $100 billion.
Vietnam made headlines in 2023 as the primary nation to commercially deploy an ASF vaccine, produced by AVAC Vietnam JSC. Whereas the vaccine has been bought domestically and exported to international locations just like the Philippines and Indonesia, Vietnamese officers say low vaccination charges—as a result of price and efficacy issues—stay a significant hurdle.
“Vaccination is only a supporting software that can’t exchange fundamental prevention measures,” Duong emphasised, reinforcing the continued significance of strict biosecurity protocols.
As outbreaks unfold and the pork provide chain in Southeast Asia tightens, the trade will probably be watching carefully. The developments in Vietnam function a stark reminder that ASF stays an ever-present international risk—one which requires vigilance, innovation, and coordinated motion.
