Novel FMDV Vaccine Technology for Africa

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Foot and Mouth disease virus (FMDV) is endemic in most African countries. FMD is a highly infectious and potentially fatal disease that infects livestock. The disease has a huge economic impact in Africa, as it reduces the productivity of farmers and their ability to export produce, with losses conservatively estimated at USD 800 million. There are different serotypes of FMDV, and each requires its own vaccine in order to protect animals. Each serotype is separated into different strains and these can evolve so that they too require a new vaccine to protect against them. The different serotypes and strains vary in different regions in Africa, so that each region requires its own range of vaccines. There are vaccines available for FMD in sub-Saharan Africa but they are not currently fit for purpose because: 1) they are too expensive, 2) in many African regions they do not protect against the circulating strains 3) they must be given repeatedly and 4) they must be kept refrigerated in an uninterrupted cold chain , which is not possible for many livestock keepers. The project will study the feasibility of producing new FMDV vaccines that are cheaper, simpler to produce, more stable, match circulating strains and have better regional coverage than the current vaccines in Africa