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Foot-and-mouth Disease Vaccine Developed in China
Chinese scientists have developed a vaccine that can prevent pigs from catching foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).
The vaccine, developed by a group of scientists from the Shanghai-based Fudan University, the Shanghai Agricultural Science Academy, and a number of other prestigious research institutes, after 18 years of research, is mainly made of proteins extracted from bacteria that have a strong immunity to disease.
Experts who evaluated the vaccine, the first of its kind in the world, said that the vaccine is highly safe and reliable, and that two vaccinations can keep a pig free from the disease for four to five months.
They predicted that the vaccine may be widely applied among livestock.
The scientists have got a patent for the product and an official license for mass production as well.
China has about 700 million pigs and 300 million heads of cattle and sheep. Its Ministry of Agriculture has confirmed that the country is free of FMD.
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