What can the US do to prevent FMD outbreak? Vaccination with the stockpiled killed virus FMD vaccine?
The current policy of APHIS [US Department of Agriculture’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service] dictates that the current killed virus-based FMD vaccine will only be used in the USA under 5 circumstances: if an outbreak has not been contained within 6 months; if it affects 25% of the livestock in a given area; if the cost/benefit ratio of slaughter approaches 1:2; if the disease becomes endemic in the wildlife of 3 or more states; or if slaughter is found to be illegal. Of course, as is happening in Europe, the policy on vaccination could change in the face of a crisis. But it will be a complete waste of time to argue the pros and cons of vaccinating in the USA when the disease reaches the continent. The US stockpile contains 2.5 million doses of killed virus type O vaccine, the type that is causing the current pandemic. But there are 8 million head of cattle in Texas alone, not to mention sheep and pigs. Given the massive daily movements of livestock in the USA, and the time nee
