Foot and Mouth Disease products

Most countries, which eradicated Foot and Mouth Disease in the past used, stringent control measures with vaccination as an essential tool. Vaccination alone is not sufficient to eradicate disease but reduces the amount of circulating field virus.

Both vaccination and infection by FMDV induce the formation of antibodies. When animals are tested for FMD, antibodies are measured. In the past it has not been possible to differentiate between antibodies induced by vaccination and antibodies induced by virus infection. This has thus hampered efforts to monitor the disease.

The development of new marker vaccines and testkits allows the differentiation of vaccinated and infected animals.

Outbreaks of FMD in the UK and Europe (2001) proved that current control measures are not sufficient to control and contain a FMD outbreak. Another defense mechanism is now available in the form of modern vaccinations and test kits.