RESEARCH BY scientists at the University of Glasgow and The Pirbright Institute has shown that a targeted vaccination programme against foot-and-mouth disease could be the key to reducing rural poverty in eastern Africa.

In their published study, the team surveyed farming households in Tanzania and examined how the disease passed to livestock, enabling them to understand the economic burden FMD places on local people, and establish the best methods for controlling its spread.

There are several types of FMD virus – called serotypes – that circulate in Africa, but until now the way in which they spread across eastern Africa was poorly understood. Using the high-containment facilities provided by The Pirbright Institute, experts were able to test samples from Tanzanian livestock and wild buffalo to determine which serotypes they had been infected by over the years.

Professor Satya Parida, head of the Vaccine Differentiation group at Pirbright said: “We found that FMDV serotypes pass through livestock in slow waves, but that it was rare for livestock to become infected by viruses circulating in wild buffalo. Through understanding the pattern of FMD waves, we suggest that by quickly identifying the virus serotype causing an outbreak, serotype specific vaccines could be deployed to prevent its continued spread in sub-Saharan Africa, thereby providing a cost-effective strategy for reducing the economic and health impacts on livestock owners in these regions."

Dr Tiziana Lembo, lead author from the University of Glasgow added: “In East Africa, foot-and-mouth disease control policies targeting the most affected communities have been constrained by a limited understanding of the role of wildlife in transmission to livestock, particularly in areas where both populations live in close proximity. Our research demonstrates that disease risks are driven by livestock, rather than wildlife-related factors. This is different to the situation in southern Africa, where there is spill over from buffalo to livestock, and control methods therefore focus on their separation.”

Livestock production losses due to FMD are estimated to be around $2.3 billion each year in Africa, affecting national economies, food security and the livelihoods of livestock keepers – 85% of which live in extreme poverty. A vaccination strategy based on the findings of the Glasgow study could help to alleviate poverty in communities that are dependent on their livestock for income, in addition to increasing the production of milk, which is heavily relied upon as a source of protein in these regions.