Scientists said on Wednesday they have devised a strategy using limited supplies of vaccination to contain outbreaks of foot and mouth disease, Reuters reported. Had it been followed during the major outbreak in Britain five years ago, it could have cut the number of farms affected by around three-quarters, they added. Instead of vaccinating animals in the order in which infections occur, a future outbreak could be contained by inoculating up to 3 million cattle and concentrating on farms closest to recently reported cases, they suggested. "Vaccinating those farms closest to any previously reported case can substantially reduce the epidemic," said Matt J. Keeling, of the University of Warwick in Coventry, England. He and his colleagues used data from the 2001 outbreak of the disease in Britain to devise the best way to use limited supplies of vaccine. The infectious disease was discovered at an abattoir in southeast England. It affected 2,000 farms across Britain, resulted in the slaughter of 4 million animals and cost the public and private sector more than 8 billion pounds. --More 22 12 Local Time 19 12 GMT
