One year after the outbreak of swine fever cholera Vaccination examination continued 9:09 on September 9
Nine days have passed since the first swine contagious disease, swine fever, occurred in 26 years. Infection continues to continue, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries will fully consider whether or not to vaccinate pigs in order to prevent the spread of infections that have been requested by pig farmers. It is.
Porcine cholera was confirmed in September last year at a pig farm in Gifu Prefecture, and expanded to seven prefectures in total. So far more than 130,000 pigs have been killed.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries considers that wild boars infected with swine cholera virus are spreading the infection, and is promoting measures such as capturing wild boars and feeding food mixed with vaccines. It ’s a difficult situation to stop in a short time.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has an impact on the distribution and export of vaccination of pigs, which are said to be effective for countermeasures, because antibodies are made in the body and infection is prevented, but it cannot be distinguished from pigs infected with viruses. I have been reluctant to leave.
On the other hand, hog raising farmers such as Gifu Prefecture are increasingly calling for permission to vaccinate pigs, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries will fully consider whether it is possible to inoculate in a limited area. I am going to do that.
Mr. Hiroaki Ogura, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said, “I understand that there is a keen voice from producers to vaccinate, and I want to consider whether it can be realized.” It is.
Research and development of new vaccine progresses
Vaccination is being studied to prevent infection with swine infectious diseases and swine cholera, but it is not possible to tell whether the antibody produced in the body of the pig is due to the vaccine or due to the infection. The problem is that it may affect the distribution.
A research group at Hokkaido University is developing the first vaccine in Japan that can distinguish this. The group of Professor Yoshihiro Sakoda from Hokkaido University is conducting research.
The research group is developing a vaccine that incorporates a part of another viral gene into a swine cholera virus that has been weakened in toxicity.
When this vaccine is inoculated in pigs, it can produce antibodies against other viruses as well as antibodies against swine cholera, so that it is clearly known that the vaccine has been inoculated, so that it is not infected during the distribution or export of pigs I can show it.
These types of vaccines are called “marker vaccines” and are stockpiled in Europe, but this is the first time they are being developed in the country.
Prof. Sakoda will proceed with research toward practical application, such as examining genes such as swine fever virus that are prevalent in Japan and deciding how to incorporate other viruses.
Prof. Sakoda says, “In the future, in order not to spread the infection of swine cholera, I would like to promote practical application with the cooperation of the national government and pharmaceutical companies.”