malaysiangMANILA: The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday assured that expired vaccines will neither be used nor purchased against the African swine fever (ASF).
“We can assure you na iyong bibilhin at gagamitin ay (that those that will be procured and used are) not those previously sent here,’ DA Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa said in an interview, referring to the delivered batch of vaccines from Vietnam last year.
‘Ang assurance natin (Our assurance is), both for the emergency purchase and for the regular procurement will be new doses coming in and will have a validity for another two years.’
The DA made the assurance after Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) Chairperson Rosendo So expressed concerns about the possible use of 150,000 doses of expired AVAC live vaccines.
‘Last Friday meeting sa TWG (Technical Working Group), nalaman kasi namin na iyong gagamitin na vaccine is yung expired vaccine na in-extend ulit (ang validity) ng Vietnam company. Expired ng March yun, in-extend ng (during the TW
G meeting, we have discovered that the expired vaccines, whose validity were extended by the Vietnam company, will be used. That expired last March, but was extended to) December,’ So said in a separate Zoom interview.
‘Ang sinabi kaagad natin, ino-object natin iyong paggamit kasi bibilhin ng government iyan (We immediately expressed our objection because that will be purchased by the government),’ he added, citing questions on its efficacy.
De Mesa explained that the said batch arrived before the procurement, and the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) issuance of the certificate of product registration (CPR) for the government-controlled vaccinations using ASF AVAC live vaccines.
He also clarified that the DA has no ASF vaccines at hand to date.
Under the government-controlled vaccination, the DA allocated PHP350 million for the procurement of 600,000 doses of AVAC live vaccines.
Around 10,000 doses are expected to be available next Friday for Batangas through the DA’s emergency procurement.
Meanwhil
e, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan ng Batangas declared a state of calamity on Tuesday in the entire province due to the effects of the ASF outbreak in Calatagan, Lian, Lipa City, Lobo, Rosario, San Juan, Talisay, and Tuy.
Besides the arrival of emergency procured ASF vaccines, the DA has assured intensified biosecurity measures, distribution of industrial lime, continuous conduct of mass testing, provision of stun guns, as well as the higher indemnification for condemned swine worth PHP4,000 per piglet, PHP8,000 per medium-sized pig, and PHP12,000 per big ones.
The DA plans to utilize around PHP150 million from its quick response fund (QRF) for its indemnification program.
Source: Philippines News Agency
