The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will be seeking a supply of vaccines to protect U.S. swine, cattle, sheep and goat herds from foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).
The agency recently published a sources sought notice regarding foot and mouth disease (FMD) vaccine, as part of its FMD preparedness activities. APHIS has held extensive conversations with livestock producers and related industries while developing FMD preparedness plans. During these discussions, everyone involved recognized there is an increased need for a steady vaccine supply to combat this devastating disease should it enter the country.
FMD, according to APHIS, is one of the most severe and serious diseases of livestock. It affects cows, pigs, sheep and goats. There has not been a case of FMD in the U.S. since 1929. APHIS works diligently to keep FMD out of the United States, through a series of overlapping efforts. However, APHIS must continue to assess and update its preparedness and response plans, to be ready in case the disease should appear in the future.
To address moderate or large-scale FMD outbreaks, APHIS is prepared to use vaccine to protect livestock in affected states. Vaccinated animals will be allowed to live out their useful lives, which not only ensures continued production but also maintains the domestic food supply. A sufficient supply of stored vaccine will be necessary for this strategy to be effective, the agency stated.
APHIS would like to have a minimum of 25 million doses for each of the 10 high-risk strains available. Over the coming years, APHIS is looking to incrementally increase the amount of stored FMD vaccine that is readily or quickly available for the agency to use should it be necessary to vaccinate.
The goal of this request for information is to identify vaccine manufacturers who can supply the types of FMD vaccine that are needed, in the amounts needed, and in the timeframe needed. The information provided by the manufacturers will help APHIS make decisions on how to increase FMD preparedness. APHIS will also use this information to determine future budget needs to enhance the vaccine stockpile.
