Native pigs unaffected by the African Swine Fever (ASF) are kept inside a backyard hog raiser’s pen in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan on May 11, 2021. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File  

Vietnam will send 150,000 doses of its African swine fever vaccine to the Philippines on Thursday, state media said, although it has not yet been approved internationally.

The illness -- which does not affect humans -- is highly contagious and fatal for pigs, and an outbreak is potentially devastating for the pork industry, experts say.

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The shipment of the vaccine, developed by AVAC Vietnam (AVAC), is part of 600,000 doses ordered by the Philippine government, Vietnam News Agency quoted the company's general director Nguyen Van Diep as saying.

Vietnam approved two African swine fever vaccines for domestic use in July 2023, saying it was the first country to do so.

But neither of the vaccines has been approved internationally.

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In October 2023, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) issued a statement warning veterinary authorities and the pig industry of the "risk from use of sub-standard vaccines".

It did not specifically mention Vietnam.

According to Vietnam News Agency, Diep said AVAC had already exported 300,000 doses to the Philippines in 2023. Other state media reports said this batch had been used for an "evaluation".

The company is seeking approval for its vaccine in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Myanmar and Nigeria.

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A team from the Philippines was in Vietnam earlier in the week to check on the production of the vaccines, he added, according to VNA.

Diep said 2.3 million doses have been used in Vietnam since July 2023.

According to media reports, authorities in Vietnam have been trying to encourage farmers to use the vaccine to prevent African swine fever from spreading among their herds.

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The ministry of agriculture and rural development reported in mid-July that Vietnam had recorded 34,000 infected cases since the beginning of the year.

AVAC did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.

A 2018 outbreak of African swine fever in China -- the world's largest pork producer -- caused millions of pigs to be slaughtered to stop its spread.

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© Agence France-Presse