"ICAR develops India's first indigenous African swine fever vaccine"
African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV)
large double-stranded DNA virus; sole member of family Asfarviridae; causes ASF in pigs
Trans-boundary Animal Disease (TAD)
livestock disease that spreads rapidly across national borders with major trade and food security consequences
African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious and lethal viral haemorrhagic disease of domestic and wild pigs caused by the African swine fever virus (ASFV), a large double-stranded DNA virus and the sole member of the family Asfarviridae. Unlike many livestock diseases, ASF has no approved treatment, and until recently no commercially available vaccine existed anywhere in the world. The disease is classified as a trans-boundary animal disease (TAD) — one that spreads rapidly across national borders and has significant consequences for food security, trade, and rural livelihoods. The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), formerly OIE, mandates immediate notification of ASF outbreaks, and affected countries typically face severe restrictions on pork and pig-product exports.
India's pig farming sector is concentrated heavily in the Northeastern states, where pig rearing is both a cultural practice and a primary livelihood source for smallholder and tribal households. The sector contributes to protein security in regions where other livestock options are limited. Prior to the development of an indigenous vaccine, disease management in India relied entirely on reactive measures — rapid diagnosis, mass culling of infected herds, and strict movement restrictions — imposing enormous economic and social costs on farming communities already operating at the margins.
ASFV is notable for its biological complexity: it encodes over 150 proteins, many of which actively suppress the host's immune response, making vaccine development exceptionally difficult. Conventional inactivated-virus approaches have largely failed to generate protective immunity. The most promising strategy, validated by research globally, is the live attenuated vaccine (LAV) approach — using a weakened form of the virus that can replicate enough to stimulate immunity without causing disease. The vaccine developed by scientists at ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (ICAR-NIHSAD), Bhopal, uses a novel attenuated ASFV Genotype II strain, which is the dominant genotype responsible for outbreaks across Asia and Europe.
The vaccine has undergone comprehensive laboratory evaluation covering sterility, purity, safety, genetic stability, immunogenicity, protective efficacy, and critically, virulence reversion studies — the last being essential to confirm that the attenuated virus cannot revert to a virulent form in field conditions. …
In the context of vaccines manufactured to prevent COVID-19 pandemic, consider the following statements:
1.The Serum Institute of India produced COVID-19 vaccine named Covishield using mRNA platform.
2.Sputnik V vaccine is manufactured using vector based platform.
3.COVAXIN is an inactivated pathogen based vaccine.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
H1N1 virus is sometimes mentioned in the news with reference to which one of the following diseases?
Consider the following statements regarding African Swine Fever (ASF):
1.ASF is caused by a DNA virus belonging to the family Asfarviridae.
2.ASF affects both domestic pigs and wild boars but does not affect humans.
3.A commercially approved vaccine for ASF has been available globally since 2015.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Which of the following best describes the vaccine platform used in India's first indigenous African swine fever vaccine developed by ICAR-NIHSAD?
With reference to ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (ICAR-NIHSAD), consider the following statements:
1.It is located in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
2.It operates at Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) equivalent containment for handling dangerous animal pathogens.
3.It functions under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Assertion (A): African swine fever is classified as a trans-boundary animal disease (TAD) by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
Reason (R): TADs are diseases that spread rapidly across national borders and have significant consequences for food security and international trade in livestock products.
Which of the following is correct?
Consider the following statements about African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks in India:
1.ASF was first detected in India in the year 2020.
2.The disease has disproportionately affected pig farmers in the Northeastern region of India.
3.India's disease control strategy prior to the indigenous vaccine relied primarily on mass vaccination using imported vaccines.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
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