We suggest different options for dealing with limited outbreaks compared to epidemics and that more emphasis should be given to complementary approaches to substantiate the effectiveness of inhibitors Emergency vaccination. FMD is highly contagious, so rapid action is needed to block its spread and eradicate it if introduced into selleck screening library a formerly FMD-free country. This requires surveillance and tracing to

diagnose infected farms, and restrictions on movements of infected and potentially infected animals, persons and objects. Farms containing acutely infected animals should be culled,1 cleansed and disinfected, which may be extended to the preventive culling of potentially infected animals or even to animals that may be at high risk of future infection [14]. Emergency vaccination, in and around affected areas, can supplement, replace or delay preventive culling and the merits and disadvantages of the two approaches have been compared by computational simulation [15], [16] and [17]. The larger an outbreak becomes, the more unacceptable

and unfeasible is control by culling, so factors that predispose to epidemics, favour early adoption of an emergency vaccination policy [9] and [18]. Countries free of FMD benefit from access to international trade markets for sale of susceptible live animals and their products, especially fresh meat. Loss of this favourable status after FMD introduction can be very costly, so the time to recover the free status Akt inhibitor to affects disease control strategy selection [12]. Once FMD has been controlled, assurance that the infection has been

eliminated is required to lift local and national disease control restrictions and to resume trade in livestock and livestock products [19]. FMD vaccines are produced in cell cultures followed by inactivation of infectivity and separation of virus particles from culture medium, debris and viral non-structural proteins (NSP) [20]. If sufficient animals are adequately immunised by vaccination, then within-pen transmission of FMDV will stop [21], [22], [23] and [24], which will stop between-pen [25] and between-herd transmission [26]. However, infection may spread whilst immunity is developing [27]. Furthermore, if vaccination is inadequate (e.g. poor vaccine quality, non-matching vaccine, or insufficient animals correctly vaccinated), spread may continue [28], especially if other measures, such as movement restrictions, are ineffective [29]. Even well vaccinated animals may become subclinically infected if exposed to a sufficient viral challenge and vaccinated ruminants can develop the FMDV carrier state [30] and [31]. Such animals shed less virus during the acute stage of infection compared to unvaccinated animals with disease [32], [33] and [34].