Current Affairs - Science - Discussion

ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) developed India’s first indigenous African Swine Fever (ASF) vaccine. The live attenuated vaccine was developed using the MA-104 cell line at ICAR–National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (ICAR-NIHSAD), Bhopal. It was officially launched by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on ICAR Foundation Day 2026. The vaccine is expected to strengthen livestock biosecurity, reduce pig mortality and support pig farmers, particularly in the North-Eastern states that have faced severe ASF outbreaks since 2020.