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In the wake of on-going successful programmes for global eradication of rin-
derpest and the current effort to contain the spread of avian influenza, the pro-
gressive world-wide control of FMD must be regarded as a major contribution
to the international public good. FMD is the single most animal disease con-
straint to international trade in animal products. Its control is relevant, on the
one hand, to protecting the livestock industries of industrialised countries and,
on the other, to the livelihoods and income generation of developing countries,
where, as a general rule, FMD continues to be endemic.
The strategy that is advocated in this paper is one that is based on progres-
sive risk reduction of FMD in the context of progressive market access of live-
stock commodities from developing countries. It is suggested that FMD control
should be linked to improvement in livelihoods of livestock dependent com-
munities in the FMD endemic settings. It is expected that this in turn will lead
to increasing demand for effective national veterinary services and disease sur-
veillance. This strategy has also taken lessons from the global rinderpest eradi-
cation programme and regional FMD control programmes in Europe and
South America.
The strategy that is advocated for the progressive control of FMD in the
endemic settings is based on a seven stage process within a horizon of about
30 years, namely: (1) Assessing and defining national FMD status; (2) institut-
ing vaccination and movement control; (3) suppressing virus transmission to
achieve absence of clinical disease; (4) achieving freedom from FMD with vac-
cination in accordance with the OIE standards; (5) achieving freedom from
FMD without vaccination in accordance with the OIE standards; (6) extending
FMD free zones; and (7) maintaining FMD Freedom.
Concomitant with progressive FMD control, there needs be the encourage-
ment of such risk reduction measures as in-country commodity processing in
order to encourage regulated trade in livestock commodities without unduly
increasing the risk of disease spread.
Finally, the progressive control of FMD should also be seen as part of redu-
cing the overall, world-wide threat of infectious diseases to human health and
economic development. |
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