Foot and Mouth Disease: Why not Vaccinate?

Abstract

At the time of writing (May 4), the Government believes the massive outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Britain to be under control. The option of a limited vaccination programme, in severely affected areas, has therefore been shelved. The aim is to reinforce the slaughter programme, to ensure that all infected animals are destroyed within 24 hours of detection. The main reason for the Government's earlier hesitancy about selective vaccination was opposition from farmers. What are the facts on vaccination, for control or prevention?Foot and mouth disease (FMD) virus comes in seven major types (O, A, C, Asia 1, and SAT 1, 2 and 3). Unfortunately, variants within a type arise which are not 263

Modeling the Effects of Multiple Intervention Strategies on Controlling Foot-and-Mouth Disease

“…Protective vaccination is used on herds and flocks that are in the vicinity of an outbreak but are thought not to have been exposed [ 12 ]. Prior studies suggest that a vaccinated exposed animal is highly likely to progress to be an FMD carrier [ 14 ]. Apart from suppressive and protective vaccines, our model explores the role of culling infectious symptomatic and nonsymptomatic animals.…”

Foot and mouth disease control: the next steps

“…This vaccination policy would, of course, have to be adopted throughout the European Union; and it might even become part of a global exercise on the pattern of the Expanded Programme on Immunization. Such a programme would demand methods of serological surveillance that distinguish between vaccinated and infected animals as well as rapid diagnostic tests for use on the farm 2 . Although there is no real prospect of eradication, because of the reservoir in wild animals, the disease might be con®ned to those areas where farm In 1845 the doors of the German Hospital, at ®rst housed in converted buildings of the Dalston Infant Orphan Asylum, were opened`to all who spoke the German tongue, without distinction as to religion and origin, from Switzerland to the banks of the Rhine and from the banks of the Rhine again to the Baltic and the North Sea'.…”