African swine fever outbreaks are spreading in Vietnam and the government says this could affect its food supplies and put upward pressure on inflation, Reuters reports.
For years, this deadly virus of pigs has disrupted the $250 billion global pork market. The worst, and most recent, outbreak occurred in 2018 and 2019 in China. Nearly half of the domestic pig population died in China, the world’s biggest producer, causing losses estimated at more than $100 billion, the article said.
“The risk of wider spread of the disease is very high, and it can affect food supplies, consumer prices and the environment,” the Vietnamese government document explained, which was dated July 14 and was reviewed by Reuters.
In 2024 alone, Vietnam has culled 42,400 infected pigs so far. That’s up by nearly five times that of the same period last year, Reuters reports. This culminates in about 660 ASF outbreaks this year compared to 208 during the same period last year.
The government has ordered provinces to deploy measures to curb the spread, including prioritizing funds for vaccination. In July 2023, the country approved the domestic commercial use of two vaccines, despite the World Organisation for Animal Health warning that more testing of ASF vaccines was needed.
