The Philippine agriculture department is urgently procuring African swine fever (ASF) vaccines to combat an outbreak in Batangas province. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel announced that local governments might need to declare a state of emergency to expedite the response and fund allocation. The department plans to purchase at least 10,000 doses of ASF vaccines. Coordination with police and military is in progress to establish checkpoints and control the virus spread, according to Agriculture Assistant Secretary Dante Palabrica.
