Australian pork industry still waiting for a vaccine against Japanese encephalitis virus

Australia’s pork industry has been waiting for a vaccine against the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) since 2021 when a large outbreak provoked serious economic damage and impacted operations for piggeries across four states. Nine people have also died from the virus since then, including two in Queensland this year. A vaccine exists for humans, but not for pigs who are the main victims of this mosquito-borne disease. Two separate pig vaccines are waiting for federal approval, with the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) saying it was assessing two emergency use permit applications to trial the vaccines in piggeries. The two vaccine candidates have been developed by the University of Queensland and the veterinary company Apiam Animal Health. However, the assessment to give emergency use permits could take over a year. Apiam Animal Health chief executive Chris Richards accused the government of not being serious about preventing the disease and its negative impact on farmers’ finances and public health. He said his company can vaccinate 50,000 sows within two weeks of emergency approval. Farmers also expressed disappointment with the long vaccine approval process, as JEV is spreading across Queensland, with the last detected cases at the Betta Pork facility in Biloela. Director Laurie Brosnan complained about the lack of a vaccine and said that mosquito controls are expensive and ineffective against the spread of the disease. She also said that the government is not caring about the pig industry and its plight.
University of Queensland Associate Professor Jody Peters, who was involved in developing one of the vaccines, said there was enough data to show that it was safe and effective. However, she acknowledged that the regulatory bodies have the last word on the vaccine. She expressed frustration with the length of the approval process but said that she believes the vaccine will be on the market in the future.