Advances in classical swine fever (CSF) control are often hindered by low vaccination coverage, in particular in small scale backyard production systems. Alternative vaccination schemes such as oral vaccination have been tested recently and could complement parenteral vaccination. In this study, oral vaccination was conducted in backyard pigs in Thailand and Lao PDR, to test the feasibility of an approach where the provision of vaccine baits is performed by the farmers. Presence of antibodies against the CSF virus was analyzed before and 31 days after vaccination. In Thailand, where all animals were claimed to have already received a parenteral vaccination, the seroconversion rate was 59% before and 84.6% after the intervention. In Lao PDR no CSF vaccination has been applied before begin of the study, 31 days after the intervention 55.9% of the animals seroconverted. The seroconversion rate was 80% for the age group of animals ≤3 months. The result indicate that oral vaccination could be an appropriate additional tool for an improved CSF control in backyard production systems in endemic area. Adaption of the approach to local circumstances and an appropriate monitoring remain essential for the overall success.

Key words: Backyard pigs, Classical swine fever, Oral vaccination