State-owned Harbin Veterinary Research Institute has discovered the two vaccine candidates, reports Reuters News Agency.
But Liz Wagstrom of the National Pork Producers Council in the United States says it may prove difficult to get an effective vaccine because researchers have been trying for more than 50 years.
African Swine Fever has about 70 times as many proteins as average viruses, which explains why the challenge is so great.
“In the next step, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences will accelerate the progress of pilot and clinical trials, as well as vaccine production,” the Chinese report said.
Although several vaccine candidates have already been identified by researchers in other countries, many more steps are required before putting an effective product on the market.
There are also at least two strains of the virus circulating in China and a vaccine would be unlikely to protect against both, Reuters reported.
African Swine Fever has claimed about 20 per cent of China’s hog population since it began its devastating spread in August.
