Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) develops indigenous African swine fever vaccine

Key facts

• The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed India's first indigenous African swine fever (ASF) vaccine for pigs.
• The vaccine was developed by scientists at ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (ICAR-NIHSAD), Bhopal, using a novel attenuated ASFV Genotype II virus.
• The vaccine has undergone comprehensive laboratory evaluation including sterility, purity, safety, genetic stability, immunogenicity, protective efficacy and virulence reversion studies.
• The vaccine is recommended for healthy pigs above eight weeks of age and is administered as a 1 ml intramuscular injection, followed by a booster dose 14 days after the primary vaccination.
• African swine fever, caused by the African swine fever virus, has mortality rates that may approach 100% and was first detected in India in 2020.
• ASF outbreaks in Assam during 2020 and 2021 resulted in estimated losses of approximately ₹276 crore, while Mizoram outbreaks affected more than 11,382 households up to 2025 with estimated financial losses of approximately ₹982 crore.