Foreign Animal Disease Outbreaks and Status Updates

February 9, 2011 — 

The North American Foot-and-Mouth Disease Vaccine Bank, administered jointly by commissioners from the United States, Canada and Mexico, is providing the Republic of Korea with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine needed to assist the country with its ongoing FMD outbreak and vaccination response. The vaccine bank will provide the antigen needed to manufacture 2.5 million doses of vaccine to vaccinate pigs and cattle in the Republic of Korea. They requested assistance from the North American vaccine bank in order to facilitate the blanket vaccination and limit the need for large-scale animal depopulation.

The North American Foot-and-Mouth Disease Vaccine Bank maintains a supply of vaccine antigen for this particular strain of the disease as a contingency to address an outbreak in North America, if required. Inventory levels will return to full supply by the end of the year at the latest.

Recent FMD Outbreaks

Thirteen pigs were confirmed Saturday to have foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) at South Korea's largest breeding farm which provides sperm from high-quality livestock to farms nationwide. Reportedly, all of the animals had been vaccinated in January and strict precautions had been enacted to prevent the introduction of the disease. South Korea's worst-ever FMD outbreak has resulted in the culling of millions of animals and substantial increases in retail pork prices. The outbreak began following a report of possible FMD on a pig farm. An initial penside test was negative but additional test results confirmed the outbreak 3 - 5 days later. The slow response resulted in as much as a week's delay in implementing quarantine procedures.

FMD outbreaks have also been reported in Bulgaria (serotype O in cattle, sheep,goats, domestic swine and wild boar (considered the source of the outbreak), stamping out/no vaccine) and Libya (serotype O in cattle, vaccination and movement controls).

FMD-free Status Granted

Two countries have recently received a change in FMD status from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). Japan was recently granted national FMD-free status following the resolution of an outbreak which began last April. The "border belt" region of Argentina has also received FMD free status but must maintain isolation from the "free with vaccination" cattle located in other regions of the country. The recovery of the free of FMD status also includes the high vigilance areas in Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay.

Sources:
CFIA Press Release -- January 31, 2011

JoongAng Daily -- February 7, 2011

Korea Times - January 25, 2011

OIE

Japan Today -- February 6, 2011

Merco Press -- February 8, 2011