Animal vax development center unveiled in Nueva Ecija
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) has inaugurated a vaccine development center in Nueva Ecija province in line with efforts to boost the country’s defenses against animal diseases such as African swine fever (ASF), bird flu, and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).
Construction of the state-of-the-art facility, known as the Center for Transboundary Animal Diseases (CenTrAD), began in 2019 and was completed in 2022, funded by the DA at an estimated cost of P230 million.
“It is set to become the leading agency for the diagnosis, surveillance, research, and technology development related to transboundary animal diseases,” the DA said in a statement on Wednesday.
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CLSU as partner
Located adjacent to the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) Veterinary Teaching Hospital, CenTrAD houses laboratories for microbiology, virology, parasitology, histopathology, and molecular assays.
The CenTrAD, a joint undertaking of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) and the CLSU, also has an epidemiology training and digital analysis room.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said that while vaccines for ASF, avian influenza (AI), and FMD are available internationally, locally developed vaccines based on indigenous strains tend to be more effective in preventing outbreaks.
Tiu Laurel said the new facility “is crucial for addressing the economic losses caused by ASF and AI and for safeguarding the country’s livestock from FMD.”
The DA has earmarked P151 million for a three-year vaccine development program, which entails the procurement of the first Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory (BSL-3). It aims to deliver the vaccine prototypes by 2028 at the latest.
“This type of laboratory allows research on microbes, both indigenous and exotic, that can cause serious or potentially lethal diseases through inhalation,” the agency said.
Billions in losses
Although the Philippines is FMD-free, its ongoing campaign against ASF and avian influenza is far from over.
According to the BAI’s latest report, the country has not recorded any positive cases of bird flu since January, but as of late March, it still had active ASF cases in 13 provinces in seven regions.
The swine sector has incurred billions in losses since the first ASF outbreak in 2019 and slashed the swine population by about 6 million. On the other hand, bird flu has caused the culling of over 10 million chickens since its first outbreak in 2017.
According to the World Organization for Animal Health, the Philippines is FMD-free, and vaccination is not practiced. But similar to ASF, there is no specific cure or treatment for FMD.
