Foot and Mouth Disease

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious and economically important viral disease of domestic cloven-hoofed animals including cattle, buffaloes, goats, sheep, pigs, and more than 100 wildlife species. This chapter provides a review on FMD vaccines, vaccination strategy, application, and effectiveness of vaccination programs. Immune responses can be subdivided broadly into two parts: innate and adaptive immunity. Purchasing vaccines in most cases follows tendering procedures with information provided by the tenderer and manufacturers. These procedures are fully described in the FMD vaccination and postvaccination monitoring guidelines. Vaccination strategies for the control of FMD depend on the objectives of the control program and the epidemiology of infection. Additionally, quality assurance and quality control testing of finished products by independent vaccine quality control centers should be the common practice prior to the batch release.