Viet Nam prepares vaccine options against SAT1 foot-and-mouth threat

The warnings were issued at a May 25 meeting chaired by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Quoc Tri, who convened officials from the Department of Animal Health and Production (DAHP) alongside ministry units and private sector representatives to assess the FMD situation and the prospects for SAT1 vaccine procurement.

According to the DAHP, foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious infection affecting even-toed ungulates, cattle, buffalo, pigs, goats, and sheep. The virus currently exists in seven serotypes: O, A, C, Asia1, SAT1, SAT2 and SAT3.

Viet Nam has to date only recorded serotypes O, A and Asia1; SAT1 has not been detected domestically. However, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have warned that SAT1 has broken out of its traditional range in sub-Saharan Africa and is now circulating across parts of the Middle East, Western Asia and Europe.

Of particular concern, China reported its first-ever SAT1 outbreak in early April 2026, recording 219 cases in cattle in Gansu and Xinjiang provinces. Authorities traced the pathogen to the smuggling and illegal cross-border movement of livestock.

The department identified three principal risk factors for Viet Nam: SAT1 is advancing rapidly toward Southeast Asia; cross-border livestock trafficking remains difficult to control; and the FMD vaccines currently in widespread domestic use offer no protection against the SAT1 strain.

Viet Nam's susceptible livestock population stands at approximately 31.4 million pigs, 6.14 million cattle, 1.95 million buffalo, and more than 3 million goats and sheep.

Surveillance efforts are now being concentrated at border areas, border gates, wholesale markets, collection points, slaughterhouses and major livestock transport corridors. The department has drawn up an active monitoring plan covering 11 provinces, with more than 1,000 samples to be tested to detect SAT1 early. Central veterinary diagnostic laboratories have also established Realtime RT-PCR protocols capable of simultaneously identifying serotypes O, A, Asia1 and SAT1.

On the vaccine front, Nguyen Van Bach, director of Amavet Animal Health Business Joint Stock Company, noted that SAT1 is not a novel strain globally and that effective vaccines are already in use in a number of countries. With an active outbreak confirmed in China, he said the risk to Viet Nam is elevated given regional trade and livestock movement patterns.

"If a vaccine is available, the most effective measure remains building active immunity in the herd before the pathogen arrives," he said.

Amavet has been in discussions with an Argentine vaccine manufacturer to secure a supply for Viet Nam. However, the vaccines are not held in ready stock, meaning an order-to-delivery lead time of roughly two months is required. The product must then undergo a further two months of safety and efficacy evaluation before it can be administered. Animals subsequently need 28 to 56 days to develop antibodies after vaccination.

"If you account for the entire process, from placing a production order and quality testing through to the animal achieving active immunity, the timeline is around four to five months," Bach said.

The company urged regulators to streamline administrative procedures to help secure a vaccine supply ahead of any potential outbreak.

Duong Tat Thang, Director of the Department of Animal Health and Production, addressing the meeting, stressed that any vaccine import must simultaneously satisfy technical requirements, epidemiological safety standards, and full legal compliance. While procedures should move faster given the heightened risk environment, he said, testing protocols, product verification and quality oversight cannot be bypassed.

He also flagged Viet Nam's heavy reliance on imported vaccines and raw materials, calling for proactive supply chain planning and a gradual build-up of domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity.

Closing the meeting, Deputy Minister Nguyen Quoc Tri acknowledged that SAT1 has not been found in Viet Nam but cautioned that complacency would be dangerous. He called for immediate reinforcement of controls over cross-border livestock transport and trade, with particular attention to informal trails, unofficial crossings and official border gates.

Units were instructed to monitor disease developments in neighboring countries closely, intensify epidemiological surveillance and testing, and press local authorities to implement existing disease prevention measures rigorously.

On vaccines, the Deputy Minister said preparing an import plan is necessary given that Viet Nam does not yet produce a vaccine for this strain, but any procurement must follow established regulations, guarantee product quality, match the correct viral strain and reflect actual field requirements. Cold chain capacity, distribution logistics and administration readiness must also be prepared in parallel, he added.

Looking beyond the immediate threat, ministry leadership called on relevant units to study ways to strengthen domestic vaccine production capacity for greater long-term self-sufficiency. The Deputy Minister also tasked technical agencies with drafting an emergency vaccine import framework to enable rapid response if an outbreak materializes.