Government avian flu vaccine approval to help boost PHL food … – BusinessMirror

The national governments decision to allow commercial vaccination against bird flu would help ensure the countrys food security, particularly for proteins, and deter the use of illegal vaccines, an industry expert said.

Jun Romo, president of the Philippine College of Poultry Practitioners, said the approval of the guidelines on targeted use of vaccination against avian influenza (AI) is two-fold.

First, it would contribute to protecting the local poultry industry, thereby, safeguarding the countrys protein supply. Second, it would serve as a deterrent to unauthorized vaccines circulating in the market today.

The most pressing impetus why we pushed for the use of vaccination [was] because we really want to protect our food security, especially poultry, which is the source of cheapest protein both in eggs and meat, Romo told the BusinessMirror.

The PCCP is the partner private organization of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in crafting and drafting the guidelines on bird flu vaccination use.

Romo explained that the PCCP pushed for the inclusion of vaccination as part of the governments tools against bird flu when the transboundary animal disease resurged in late 2021.

He pointed out that bird flu has become endemic to wild birds in recent years compared to the first time that the Philippines suffered outbreaks of the disease in 2017.

We want to protect the areas critical to our food security, especially those near to the marshlands where wild birds go. And we know that those are the same areas where the bulk of our layer population can be found, Romo said.

Furthermore, Romo emphasized that the risk of using illegal vaccines is that it might push the bird flu virus to mutate.

Once that happens, the arrival of legitimate vaccines may not be effective enough to control the virus, he explained.

Industry players have sounded the alarm that various vaccines, claiming to be against bird flu, are readily available and accessible in e-commerce platforms like Shopee.

Romo is confident that the Philippines, in drafting the AI vaccination guidelines, benefitted from the wisdom and experiences of nearby countries that have been using vaccines to control the disease.

Gregorio San Diego, Philippine Egg Board Association (PEBA) chairman, said local poultry raisers have been forced to use smuggled vaccines, such as those sold in online platforms like Shopee, just to have a certain level of protection to their flocks.

If you get hit by bird flu, it can wipe out all your birds and that is a huge devastation. So, poultry raisers are risking using illegal vaccines just to have a sense of protection compared to having none, San Diego told reporters in an interview on Wednesday.

In October 2022, the PEBA joined the call for the government to allow and fast track the entry of inactivated bird flu vaccines in the country to curb the impact of the disease on the domestic layer industry. (Related story:https://businessmirror.com.ph/2022/10/24/phl-layer-industry-cites-riskfrom-ai-surge-pushes-vax/)

San Diego and Romo urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to fast track the issuance of the special import permit for the AI vaccines to kick start the rollout of legitimate vaccines.

Romo disclosed that the technical working group (TWG) on AI has formally endorsed three vaccine candidates to the FDA to be issued with special import permits.

He emphasized that the vaccines underwent rigorous local trials and have been used by other countries as well in their fight against bird flu.

The Philippines recently allowed the commercial use of AI vaccines in domestic poultry to help in curbing the spread of bird flu nationwide and minimize economic losses incurred by raisers. (Related story:https://businessmirror.com.ph/2023/11/08/phl-allows-commercial-use-of-ai-vaccine-for-domestic-poultry-industry/)

The landmark policy decision was made after the DA published the guidelines on the targeted use of bird flu vaccines to complement the efforts against the transboundary animal disease.

The urgency of allowing the use of vaccines came about when the country faced resurgence of bird flu outbreaks in recent years at a faster rate and wider scope compared to the initial incidences in 2017.

The Philippines joined the growing number of countries worldwide that have adopted a vaccination policy to control the spread of bird flu that has killed at least 300 million of poultry globally, disrupting global supply and trade.

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Government avian flu vaccine approval to help boost PHL food ... - BusinessMirror