Is there a test that can distinguish between infected animals and vaccinated animals?
• Both infected and vaccinated animals will produce antibodies which protect the animals from further attack by the virus. New serological tests which have been validated on tens of thousands of animals are reported to reliably distinguish between those herds which have been vaccinated and have had no exposure to virus, and those which have been exposed to virus and consequently developed antibodies. These tests are under consideration by the OIE, but at present ruminants with antibodies to FMD virus cannot be traded internationally and under the present regulations a country such as the UK, if using vaccination alongside stamping out, would not regain its FMD-free status until either three months after the slaughter of the last diseased or vaccinated animal or twelve months after the slaughter of the last diseased animal if vaccinated animals were not culled.
