Making a vaccinate-to-live policy a reality in foot-and-mouth disease.

Public opinion and the availability of new technologies are making the use of 'stamping- out' an increasingly unattractive option as the method of first choice for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) control in FMD-free countries or zones seeking to control incursion of disease. There is therefore increasing pressure to adopt a 'vaccinate-to-live' policy in these circumstances. For a successful vaccinate-to-live policy, veterinary services need access to appropriate, licensed vaccines; to have adequate contingency plans to ensure that they can deliver the required vaccine, where and when it is needed; and to have developed an 'exit strategy' that enables recognition of freedom from disease as quickly as possible. This paper discusses progress towards these requirements and the problems that still need to be addressed before a vaccinate-to-live policy can become the option of first resort.