HANOI, VIETNAM — At the end of July, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam approved the commercial use of two vaccines against African swine fever (ASF).

The government approved NAVET-ASFVAC and AVAC ASF LIVE, which Vietnamese companies and United States researchers developed.

According to the Vietnam News Agency, a state-run news outlet, more than 600,000 shots were given nationwide during the pilot program.

July reports from the government stated that vaccines have a 95% efficacy rate in vaccinated pigs.

A report from Reuters on Aug. 2, also stated that Vietnam plans to ship 2 million ASF vaccines to the Philippines by October.

The virus has not been detected in the United States, but regulators, veterinary professionals and pork industry members continue to work together on prevention tactics and plans.

In June, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) explained its position to the US House Committee on Ways and Means regarding what threats pork producers face with foreign animal diseases.

ASF has upset global pork production for several years now, including a massive outbreak in China during 2018-19.