(Yicai Global) Aug. 18 -- The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences' efforts to develop a vaccine to prevent African swine fever in pigs are progressing well and they are about to enter expanded trials, according to a post on the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs’ website today.

Researchers conducted clinical trials on nearly 3,000 pigs in northern Heilongjiang province, central Henan province and western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in April, May and June, said Tang Huajun, head of the CAAS.

The pigs that have been immunized are growing well and have not yet shown any adverse reactions, he added.

The academy will expand the scope of clinical trials and strive to complete them as soon as possible. It will then start the safety certificate declaration and vaccine registration processes as required by law, he said.

African swine fever has decimated swine herds in China since it first broke out in August 2018 and still not been completely eliminated. The lack of supply caused pork prices to soar as much as 42.5 percent last year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Editor: Kim Taylor