India develops first indigenous African swine fever vaccine

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research has produced India’s first indigenous vaccine against African swine fever. Scientists at the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal developed the vaccine from an attenuated Genotype II strain of the virus. Laboratory evaluation covered sterility, purity, safety, genetic stability, immunogenicity, protective efficacy and virulence reversion.

The vaccine is intended for healthy pigs older than eight weeks and is given as a 1 ml intramuscular injection followed by a booster 14 days later. African swine fever has no effective treatment and has caused substantial losses in India. Early outbreaks in Assam alone produced estimated losses of roughly ₹276 crore through mortality and culling. In Mizoram the disease affected more than 11,000 households, with financial losses near ₹982 crore up to 2025.

Officials expect the vaccine to lower pig mortality, reduce economic damage and support the livelihoods of pig farmers while strengthening national animal-health security. Disease control until now has relied mainly on rapid diagnosis, culling and biosecurity measures.