India has achieved a major milestone in animal health with the development of its first indigenous live attenuated vaccine against African Swine Fever (ASF), a highly contagious and deadly disease affecting pigs. The MA-104 cell line-based live attenuated ASF vaccine, developed by scientists at the ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (ICAR-NIHSAD), Bhopal, was dedicated to the nation by Union Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan during the 98th Foundation Day celebrations of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) at the National Agricultural Science Centre (NASC) in New Delhi.
The newly developed vaccine is expected to significantly strengthen India's ability to prevent and control African Swine Fever, reducing pig mortality, limiting economic losses and improving the livelihoods of pig farmers, particularly in the country's North-Eastern states, where pig farming is a major source of income.
African Swine Fever (ASF) is one of the most devastating transboundary animal diseases affecting domestic and wild pigs. It is caused by the African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) and is characterised by high fever, haemorrhages and mortality rates that can approach 100%, resulting in severe socio-economic consequences for pig farmers.
Since its first detection in India in 2020, ASF has spread to several states and Union Territories, causing substantial losses to the pig industry through widespread mortality, disruption of pig production, restrictions on animal movement and trade, and adverse impacts on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, particularly in the North-Eastern region.
Economic losses during the initial ASF outbreaks in Assam in 2020 and 2021, due to pig mortality and culling, were estimated at approximately Rs. 276 crore. ASF outbreaks have also affected more than 11,382 households in Mizoram up to 2025, resulting in estimated financial losses of approximately Rs. 982.16 crore. In the absence of any effective treatment or an approved commercial vaccine in India, disease control has relied primarily on rapid diagnosis, culling of infected animals and strict biosecurity measures.
Scientists at ICAR-NIHSAD, Bhopal, developed a novel attenuated ASF virus with unique gene deletions by serially passaging an Indian field isolate of ASFV Genotype II in MA-104 cells. Using this novel virus, they subsequently developed an indigenous live attenuated ASF vaccine. The vaccine virus exhibits stable replication characteristics in the MA-104 cell line, making it highly suitable for industrial-scale manufacturing.
The vaccine has successfully undergone comprehensive laboratory evaluation, including tests for sterility, purity, safety, genetic stability, immunogenicity, protective efficacy and reversion to virulence. It is recommended for healthy pigs aged more than eight weeks and is administered as a 1 mL intramuscular injection, followed by a booster dose 14 days after the primary vaccination.
Currently, only a limited number of commercially licensed ASF vaccines are available, all of which are used in Vietnam. These vaccines are based on genetically engineered ASF viruses propagated in patented proprietary cell lines. In contrast, the indigenous vaccine developed in India is based on the widely available MA-104 cell line, representing a major technological breakthrough. It eliminates dependence on proprietary manufacturing platforms, enables scalable vaccine production and significantly reduces manufacturing costs.
This indigenous vaccine marks a major milestone in India's pursuit of Atmanirbhar Bharat in veterinary vaccine development and positions the country to emerge as a major supplier of affordable, high-quality ASF vaccines to international markets.