Indigenous African Swine Fever (ASF) Vaccine Developed by ICAR Bolsters India's Biosecurity

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (ICAR‑NIHSAD) in Bhopal has developed the country’s first indigenous live‑attenuated African Swine Fever (ASF) vaccine using a MA‑104 cell‑line‑based strain of genotype II virus. The vaccine has passed laboratory tests for sterility, safety, genetic stability, immunogenicity and protective efficacy, and has been field‑validated in partnership with the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying. It is intended for healthy pigs older than eight weeks, administered intramuscularly with a booster after 14 days. The Ministry expects the vaccine to cut pig mortality, reduce economic losses estimated at ₹276 crore in Assam and ₹982 crore in Mizoram, and lessen dependence on proprietary foreign vaccines, thereby strengthening India’s animal‑health security and supporting pig‑farmer livelihoods.