POTSDAM (dpa-AFX) – A pharmaceutical company is producing 750,000 vaccine doses for cloven-hoofed animals as a precautionary measure to protect against foot and mouth disease. The Ministry of Agriculture in Potsdam announced this upon request. However, the authority did not say which company it was. The 750,000 doses of liquid vaccine for all of Germany will initially be stored by the manufacturer.
Whether they are used at all depends on the spread of foot and mouth disease (FMD). So far, the viral disease, which is highly contagious for cloven-hoofed animals, was only detected in a herd of buffalo in Hönow, Brandenburg, around two weeks ago. There were no further cases in other animal populations. However, the examination of samples is ongoing.
“If all samples from animals kept in the monitoring zone and a sufficient number of wild animals have been tested negatively, an initial cautious all-clear can be given,” said a spokeswoman for the Friedrich Loeffler Institute to the dpa. An FMD outbreak can be considered formally over when the EU has lifted the restrictions imposed and Germany has been granted “FMD-free” status by the World Organization for Animal Health again. According to the FLI, this takes at least three months from the time of the last confirmed case.
The vaccine manufacturing process, which is expected to take six days, is expected to be underway. The vaccination bank, which is located at a commercial vaccine manufacturer, was activated on Monday, the FLI said. According to the institute, the vaccine produced in stock has a shelf life of 18 months./mow/DP/jha