Vaccination is the cheapest insurance you can buy for your pigs. A hog cholera outbreak can kill every pig in your pen within days, and the vaccine costs almost nothing if you get it through your municipal veterinary office. The Merck Veterinary Manual backs this up: vaccination is the single most cost-effective disease prevention measure for swine.
"Libre ang bakuna sa munisipyo. Ayaw pasagdi." (The vaccine at the municipality is free. Do not neglect it.)
Yet many backyard farmers skip vaccination entirely. Here is what your pigs actually need, and where to get it.
The Essential Vaccination Schedule
This schedule covers what BAI recommends for backyard pig operations. Brand names are what's actually available at Philippine agri-vet stores.
| Age / Timing | Vaccine | Brand (PH) | Cost/Head | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 3 | Iron dextran injection | Daviron Plus, GenVet Iron | ₱15-₱30 | Not a vaccine but essential. See iron injection guide |
| 6–8 weeks | Hog cholera (CSF) | Coglapest (Ceva), Porcilis CSF Live (MSD), Suigen HC (Virbac) | ₱35-₱80 (often FREE from LGU) | Most important. Register with MAO for free doses. |
| 10–12 weeks | Hog cholera booster | Same as above | ₱35-₱80 (often FREE) | Do not skip. One dose is not enough. |
| 6–8 weeks | Deworming (dose 1) | GenVet Ivermec, WormVet | ₱15-₱25 | 1 mL/33 kg SC. Treats worms + mange. See deworming guide |
| 8–10 weeks | Mycoplasma (dose 1) | Porcilis M Hyo (MSD) | ₱30-₱60 | Reduces respiratory disease, improves growth |
| 10–12 weeks | Mycoplasma (dose 2) | Same as above | ₱30-₱60 | Booster 2–4 weeks after first |
| 10–12 weeks | Deworming (dose 2) | GenVet Ivermec, WormVet | ₱15-₱25 | Second round |
| Pre-breeding (gilts) | Parvovirus + Lepto | Porcilis Parvo (MSD) | ₱40-₱70 | Breeding stock only |
| Pre-breeding | Erysipelas | Porcilis Ery (MSD) | ₱25-₱50 | Breeding stock |
| 2 wks pre-farrowing | E. coli | Porcilis ColiClos (MSD) | ₱35-₱60 | Protects piglets via colostrum |
| Annually (sows/boars) | Hog cholera booster | Coglapest/Porcilis/Suigen | ₱35-₱80 | Annual re-vaccination |
Total cost for a grow-out pig (weaner to market): ₱130-₱275 if you buy everything. If your LGU provides free hog cholera vaccine, that drops to ₱60-₱195. Either way, it's less than 2% of your total production cost and protects a ₱12,000-₱15,000 investment.
Free Tool
Break-Even Price Calculator
Add this ₱130-₱275 vaccine line to your full per-head cost and see what it does to your peso-per-kg breakeven — typically less than ₱2/kg, which any single hog cholera death erases instantly.
The One Vaccine Every Pig Must Have: Hog Cholera
Classical Swine Fever (CSF), locally called "hog cholera," is endemic in the Philippines and can cause near-100% mortality in unvaccinated herds. The LHCV (Lapinized Hog Cholera Vaccine) is produced by BAI and distributed through municipal and provincial veterinary offices.
How to get it:
- Register your pigs with your Municipal Agriculture Office
- Ask about the vaccination schedule. Most LGUs conduct periodic mass vaccination drives
- The vaccine is often provided free of charge for registered backyard farmers
- If not available free, purchase from agri-vet stores, cost is typically under ₱50 per dose
"Duha ka beses ang tuslok." (Two injections needed.) The first dose primes the immune system. The booster 2-4 weeks later provides full protection. Skipping the booster gives incomplete protection, worse than not vaccinating at all because it creates a false sense of security.
Cold Chain: Why It Matters
Vaccines are biological products that must stay cold (2-8 degrees C, refrigerator temperature) to work. WOAH's vaccine guidelines point out that cold chain failure is the most common reason vaccination programs fail. In the Philippine heat, a vaccine left in a bag on a motorcycle seat for an hour may already be useless. Sayang.
Rules:
Buy a cheap styrofoam cooler box (₱50-100) and keep ice packs in your freezer. Use this every time you transport vaccines from the vet office or agri-vet store. It pays for itself the first time, one ruined vial of hog cholera vaccine is more expensive than the cooler.
- Transport vaccines from the store in a cooler with ice packs
- Keep in the refrigerator (NOT the freezer) until use
- Once mixed with diluent (reconstituted), use within 2–4 hours
- Never reuse opened multi-dose vials the next day
- Check the expiration date before purchasing
"Butangi sa refrigerator ang bakuna." (Keep the vaccine in the refrigerator.)
What About ASF Vaccine?
As of early 2026, the Philippine government has been conducting ASF vaccination pilots in select provinces using a live attenuated vaccine. This is not yet widely available to backyard farmers and is only administered through government-controlled programs.
Do not purchase any ASF vaccine from unauthorized sellers. Fake ASF vaccines have been reported in several provinces. If the ASF vaccination program reaches your area, your Municipal Veterinarian will announce it. Until then, biosecurity remains your primary defense against ASF.
When NOT to Vaccinate
- Do not vaccinate a sick pig vaccines require a functioning immune system to create protection. A sick pig's immune system is already overwhelmed.
- Do not vaccinate during extreme stress transport, mixing new groups, extreme heat events. Wait 3–5 days until the pig is settled.
- Do not mix different vaccines in the same syringe unless the label specifically says they are compatible.
Common Mistakes
- Not vaccinating at all "basta walay sakit OK ra" (as long as they are not sick, it is fine). This logic works until it does not and then you lose every pig.
- Buying vaccines without cold chain from market stalls in the sun where the vaccine has been sitting for hours
- Only one dose of hog cholera partial protection is dangerous. Always complete the booster.
- Vaccinating during an active outbreak too late. Vaccination is prevention, not treatment.
- Not registering with the MAO you miss free vaccination programs and other support
Bisaya / Cebuano
Iskedyul sa Bakuna: Giya para sa Mag-uuma
Ang kinahanglan gyud (grow-out pig, weaner to market):
| Kanus-a | Unsa | Brand | Gasto |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6-8 ka semana | Hog cholera (unang tuslok) | Coglapest, Porcilis, Suigen | ₱35-₱80 (LIBRE sa LGU) |
| 6-8 ka semana | Deworming | GenVet Ivermec o WormVet | ₱15-₱25 |
| 10-12 ka semana | Hog cholera (booster) | Parehas sa ibabaw | ₱35-₱80 (LIBRE sa LGU) |
| 10-12 ka semana | Deworming (ikaduha) | GenVet Ivermec o WormVet | ₱15-₱25 |
Total gasto matag ulo: ₱100-₱210 kung paliton tanan. Kung libre ang hog cholera sa LGU, mga ₱30-₱50 na lang. Mao ra na. Gamay kaayo kompara sa ₱12,000-₱15,000 nga total gasto sa pagpadako sa usa ka baboy.
Asa makuha ang bakuna:
- Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) o Provincial Vet Office. Kasagaran LIBRE ang hog cholera vaccine para sa rehistrado nga backyard farmers. Pag-register usa, libre ra, 30 minutos lang.
- Agri-vet supply store. Coglapest (Ceva) mga ₱350-₱450 ang 10-dose vial, mao ₱35-₱45 matag ulo. Available sa kadaghanan nga agri-vet store sa Cebu, Iloilo, Davao, ug Bukidnon.
- Ayaw palit sa merkado o sa dalan kung wala gibutang sa cooler. Ang bakuna nga init na, wala nay pulos. Sayang ang kwarta.
Mga sayop nga kanunay nahitabo:
- Usa ra ka tuslok. "Duha ka beses ang tuslok." Ang usa lang dili igo, pwede pa masakit ang baboy bisan nabakuna.
- Wala gibutang sa ref. Ang bakuna kinahanglan 2-8°C. Pagpalit og styrofoam cooler (₱50-100), butangi og ice. Gamita matag transport sa bakuna.
- Nagbakuna og nasakit na nga baboy. Useless. Ang bakuna para sa healthy nga baboy, dili para sa tambal.
- Wala nag-register sa MAO. Kung wala ka registered, dili ka makakuha sa libre nga bakuna ug ubang programa sa gobyerno.
Ang pagbakuna mao ang pinakabarato nga proteksyon sa imong puhunan. ₱100-₱210 matag ulo para protektahan ang ₱12,000+ nga investment. Walay rason nga dili.
Learn More
- Pig diseases in the Philippines, what these vaccines protect against
- Signs your pig is sick, know when NOT to vaccinate
- ASF recovery era pig farming, biosecurity beyond vaccination
- Iron injection for piglets, the other essential day-3 intervention
Sources: BAI Swine Vaccination Schedule (Official Advisory), DA-BAI LHCV production and distribution guidelines, PCAARRD Disease Prevention Technology Guide for Swine, Philippine Veterinary Medical Association (PVMA) vaccination recommendations, FAO Farmer's Handbook on Pig Production.
