Possible New Vaccine for Foot and Mouth Disease

There has been talk of a new vaccine that protects cattle, swine, sheep, goats and deer against the highly contagious foot and mouth disease (FMD).

Officials are saying that the vaccine has effectiveness within 7 days from administration giving the animal immunity for 21 days up to 6 months. Edward B. Knipling is quoted as saying, “This signals tremendous promise. Although this is still an experimental vaccine, it has made significant development progress, and we are optimistic about its prospects.”

This vaccine is the first FMD vaccine that has been produced by the U.S. If proven effective, the federal government will create a stockpile in the event FMD is found in the U.S.

Currently if an animal tests positive for FMD there is no way to determine if it had been vaccinated or actually came into contact with the virus. With this vaccine, it is possible to tell if the animal tests positive due to vaccination.

FMD is a devastating disease that effects cloven-hoofed animals (or two-toed animals). If FMD occurs in the U.S. it would have severe consequences on the economy and hurt the agriculture industry as a whole. The U.S. has been FMD free since 1929, but it still remains a significant threat.