NEW DELHI: Indian scientists at ICARs Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Izatnagar in Uttar Pradesh have developed Classical Swine Fever (CSF) cell culture vaccine which will help in producing cost-effective alternative to currently used vaccines for preventing the deadly fever in pigs that contribute to 10% of the countrys total meat production.
The indigenously developed vaccine will also help in saving rabbits as the currently used vaccine (lapinized CSF vaccine) is produced by sacrificing large numbers of rabbits. Besides, the new vaccine gives immunity for two years as compared to 3 to 6 months protection under the currently used vaccines.
The CSF is one of the deadliest diseases of pigs, causing high mortality with annual loss of over Rs 400 crore. Though India has been able to prevent the disease to an extent, the classical swine fever is considered one of the reasons for causing decline in population of pigs in the country in 2019 compared to 2012 census.
Releasing the live attenuated CSF cell culture vaccine (indigenous strain) on Monday, secretary of the department of animal husbandry and dairying, Atul Chaturvedi, said the new vaccine will be part of the governments One Health Initiative and result in huge savings as it will nip the spread of the virus at animal stage so that it does not pass on to the human population.
He said the countrys total requirements is 22 million doses per year and hardly 1.2 million doses are produced per year by the lapinized vaccine, as only 50 doses are produced from a single rabbit spleen.
Officials in agriculture ministry claimed that due to very high titre of vaccine virus, this vaccine would be the most economical CSF vaccine costing around less than Rs 2 per dose as against Rs 15-25 per dose of lapinized CSF vaccine and Rs 30 per dose (approx) for an imported Korean vaccine which are currently being used in the Read More – Source
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