Chinese scientists have announced that they have developed the first genetic vaccine which prevents foot-and-mouth disease in pigs - possibly a sign of hope for a world troubled by the disease.

“The results of 18 years’ research, the vaccine is the first of its kind in the world, proving to be much safer than non-genetic, traditional vaccines,” said professor Zheng Zhaoxin, from the School of Life and Science at Fudan University, one of the leaders of the research group.

Foot-and-mouth disease, one of the most persistent, ancient viruses on earth, afflicts cloven-hooved animals such as pigs, sheep, goats and cattle.

The disease is transmitted rapidly through the air, food and various other channels. Infected animals get a high fever and then erosions and blisters appear on the mouth, tongue, lips and feet.

Once an animal is found infected by the virus, the entire herd is usually killed and buried as deep as possible in an effort to prevent it spreading. The disease has caused immense financial losses to farms and related industries. Fortunately, the disease is harmless to human beings.

Zheng’s research team started investigating foot-and-mouth disease as early as in 1982, and the resulting vaccine has now been patented by the patent authorities.

“Lab tests have shown that our vaccine is effective in protecting pigs from catching the disease, with a success rate of 80 to 100 percent,” Zheng said.

He said that so far only pigs had been successfully vaccinated against the virus-0 strain, one of seven different strains of the disease.

More tests will be carried out to ascertain its effectiveness in other animals, Zheng added.

Zheng said the development of the vaccine was just the beginning, and further research would be carried out in a bid to find vaccines for other animals.

The latest foot-and-mouth crisis started in southeast England on February 20, and China has since taken measures to prevent the disease.

A circular issued on March 1 by the Ministry of Agriculture and the State Exit-Entry Inspection and Quarantine Bureau banned imports of British cloven-hooved animals and products, and any goods or people coming from Britain are being disinfected.

China has also banned imports of cloven-hooved animals from Myanmar, Mongolia and other countries where foot-and-mouth disease has broken out.

(China Daily 03/22/2001)