Countering swine flu : Unauthorised Korean vaccine administered
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, April 12 2013 : Un-authorised Korean manu- factured swine fever vaccine has been administered in place of Indian made swine fever vaccine.

According to a reliable source, Veterinary Department was given Rs 37,50,000 to administer swine fever vaccine to two lakh pigs of Manipur under the Assistance to Status for Control of Animal Diseases (ASCAD) during 2010-2011 .

The amount required for procuring vaccine for administering them to two lakh pigs was Rs 50 lakhs but 25 per cent of it should be met by the State Government while the Centre will foot 75 per cent.

One dose of swine fever vaccine was Rs 25.The State Government was intimated by the Ministry of Agriculture on August 27 last year to procure the vaccine from Indian Veterinary Research Institute based at Iztanagar, Uttar Pradesh which has been authorised by the Government of India.

Accordingly, the Under Secretary (Veterinary and Animal Husbandry) issued an order to purchase swine fever vaccine from the Indian Veterinary and Research Institute.

The unauthorised Korean vaccine and pigs in a sty

Again, the Assistant Commissioner, Animal Husbandry, Government of India sent another official intimation to the Commissioner, Veterinary and Animal Husbandry, Government of India on October 8 last year to purchase the vaccine from the Indian Veterinary and Research Institute.

In spite of the repeated intimations, Veterinary Department purchased Korean made swine fever vaccine and vaccinated pigs with them.

The Indian strain and Korean strain of the particular virus responsible for swine fever are different.

As the vaccine manufactured for Korean strain virus has been administered to pigs of the State, these pigs may suffer from a very serious disease.

Nonetheless, Veterinary Department purchased 10,020 doses of swine fever virus from the Indian Veterinary and Research Institute in between.

The remaining doses of around 1,90,000 were of Korean strain and the same were distributed to district Veterinary Officers for vaccination of pigs.

It was suspected that each district did not get even 2000 doses when the vaccine were distributed to different districts.

It remains a big question why Korean manufactured vaccine were purchased and why each district did not get even 2000 doses in spite of the clear instruction to purchase two lakhs doses of Indian manufactured swine fever flu.

At the same time, none of the top officials of Veterinary Department has ever disclosed particulars of the individual/firm which supplied the Korean manufactured swine fever vaccine.

Yet, some officials of the department maintained that Indian strain and Korean strain of the virus responsible for swine fever are exactly equal.

There was acute shortage of the swine fever vaccine manufactured at the Indian Veterinary and Research Institute between 2004 and 2010 .

As such, when there was an outbreak of swine fever in Kakching area during 2008-09, pigs were vaccinated with the swine fever vaccine manufactured in Korea and it effectively controlled the disease, claimed the officials.