Philippines seeks emergency procurement of swine flu vaccines to tackle outbreak

[August 07, 2024]  MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippine agriculture department is seeking emergency procurement of African swine fever (ASF) vaccines to address a provincial outbreak, its chief said on Wednesday.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel also said the local governments of affected areas in Batangas province may need to place their municipalities under a state of emergency to facilitate a response and release of funds for vaccines purchase.

The Department of Agriculture may need to purchase at least 10,000 doses of ASF vaccines for the emergency response, Dante Palabrica, agriculture assistant secretary, said.

To contain the spread of ASF, Tiu Laurel said the department was coordinating with the police and military to enforce checkpoints.

(Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Martin Petty)

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