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FMD future: vaccines or funeral pyres?
3 Oct 2003
An international science team is seeking funding to develop a more effective foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine and better diagnostic tests that would enable livestock disease control agencies to isolate and eventually eliminate the disease.
The team, from the UK, Canada, US and Australia, is calling for international support for their five-year research project. Dr Martyn Jeggo, from CSIRO's Australian Animal Health Laboratory, says the project requires funding of about $US60 million, which is "paltry" compared with the $US12 billion cost of the UK's 2001 FMD outbreak.
FMD vaccines available now protect animals from developing symptoms but don't prevent them from becoming infected with, and passing on, the virus. Also, the vaccines require several days to give protection from exposure to the virus.
Current tests can't readily identify vaccinated animals infected with live FMD virus. In five years the team aims to deliver an effective FMD vaccine and diagnostic tests which will ensure vaccinated animals are not confused with infected animals. Vaccination will then become a realistic option for control of an outbreak in a developed country, instead of having to slaughter millions of animals just because they're suspected of being infected.
CSIRO Media Release, 30/09/03.
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