[2006.11.23] Press Release In order to avoid an unnecessary loss of pigs, the industry is advised to administer vaccines for pseudorabies in pigs on a regular basis.
Press Release In order to avoid an unnecessary loss of pigs, the industry is advised to administer vaccines for pseudorabies in pigs on a regular basis. Source: The Animal Health Research Institute of the Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan. The Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI) of the Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan has stated that the first outbreak of pseudorabies in pigs occurred in pig farms in the Pingtung area in 1971. This disease causes a 100% mortality in pigs less than two weeks old and also causes stillbirths in pregnant sows. Moreover, this disease had spread rapidly throughout Taiwan, resulting in panic among farmers, triggering economic loss, and devastating the pig industry. In order to control the epidemic, the government has approved the importation of inactivated vaccines since 1979. With the high costs (more than $100 NT per dose), however, the vaccination process was hindered. To address this issue, our institute was entrusted with the research and development of this vaccine and was subsidized in establishing the first plant of biological plants that meet the GMP standards. As a result, our institute was able to establish a foundation upon which the inactivated vaccine for pseudorabies in pigs is manufactured with tissue culture. By 1983, we had received the first certificate in Taiwan that allowed the manufacture of vaccines for animals with tissue cultures. The vaccine was available to the pig-farming industry in Taiwan at a low price of $25 NT per dose. Over the past years, our efforts have been well-acknowledged and the vaccine has contributed significantly in the control and elimination of pseudorabies in pigs. The AHRI stresses that currently, the vaccination of pseudorabies in pigs is administrated by injecting traditional inactivated and gene-deleted live vaccines in sows prior to parturition to protect newborn piglets by material antibodies. Yet, two more vaccinations are needed to elicit enough protection for the newborns in order to protect them until they are ready to be sold. However, since the 1997 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in pigs in Taiwan, the industry has focused on the prevention of FMD and somehow neglected the control of pseudorabies in pigs. According to the results of the disease diagnostics, there were two, seven, and eight positive cases in 2003, 2004, and 2005, respectively. Three more positive cases were discovered as of the end of March this year (2006), showing a growing tendency of pseudorabies in pigs. The pig industry should be more aware of this issue. The AHRI again asks the pig industry must conduct vaccinations on schedule for psuedorabies in order to avoid unnecessary economic loss.
Contact: Ming-Hua Jong, Division Chief. TEL: 02-26212111 Ext. 300
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