Evolution of US foot-and-mouth disease response strategy
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the experiences of the USA and other nations with developed veterinary infrastructure and identify the critical factors that led the evolution of the US foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) response strategy.
Design/methodology/approach
A thorough literature review was conducted, including official reports of US FMD outbreaks and peer-reviewed articles on outbreaks in previously FMD-free countries. Textual analysis was conducted on past and current publicly available US FMD response plans, identifying the use of the term “vaccination” or “emergency vaccination” indicating the potential use of these strategies.
Findings
The USA has shifted from a strategy of exclusively stamping-out to a response strategy that would consider emergency vaccination, including vaccinate to slaughter and vaccinate to live, in any FMD outbreak. The factors that led to this shift in policy include economic factors, the emergence of new vaccine technologies, the changed landscape of the US livestock industry, and the experiences of other typically FMD-free countries.
Originality/value
An outbreak in the USA is likely to rapidly outpace the current capacity for stamping-out. Experience from other FMD outbreaks, and lack of publicly available literature from the USA, indicates that it is critically important that further consideration, sufficient attention, and stakeholder deliberation need to occur to ensure vaccination strategies (to live and to slaughter) are implementable in an outbreak.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Mr John Handy, and Mr Mark Lyford for their insightful comments and support of this paper, Ms Kristen Bretz for her help fact-checking, and Mr Matt Daigle for his editorial expertise. This manuscript was improved with the help of two anonymous reviewers. This manuscript received funding from the LMI Research Institute, McLean, VA. The views, opinions, and findings contained in this paper are those of LMI and should not be construed as an official agency position, policy, or decision, unless so designated by other official documentation. Alexandra Taylor was at the Logistics Management Institute at the time the research was undertaken.
Citation
Allen, H. and Taylor, A. (2014), "Evolution of US foot-and-mouth disease response strategy", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 23 No. 1, pp. 19-39. https://doi.org/10.1108/DPM-04-2013-0073
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited