University of Cambridge scientist Professor Stephen Brooks and his colleagues have revealed a new method of controlling foot-and-mouth outbreaks that could possibly prevent the mass slaughter of livestock if the disease should erupt again.
University of Cambridge scientist Professor Stephen Brooks and his colleagues have revealed a new method of controlling foot-and-mouth outbreaks that could possibly prevent the mass slaughter of livestock if the disease should erupt again.
Using data from the 2001 epidemic, the researchers have discovered the most effective means of controlling the outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in a realistic scenario, one in which it is either not economically or logistically feasible to vaccinate all potentially infected animals.
The scientists recommend administering the vaccine around the most recent infections rather than trying to ensure complete coverage around previously infected farms. For example, if you can only vaccinate half the livestock around newly-infected farms each day, then it is best to vaccinate those at highest risk infected that day rather than delay vaccination by trying to vaccinate animals from the day before.
Professor Brooks said: “Though we focus here on foot-and-mouth, this research is equally applicable to other diseases such as avian influenza. The key is to vaccinate and to vaccinate fast.”
The findings were revealed in this week’s issue of Nature. The Nature paper, ‘Optimal reactive vaccination strategies for a foot-and-mouth outbreak in the UK’ was conducted by researchers at the University of Cambridge, Warwick University, Edinburgh University and Penn State.
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