Americas Advance Regional Foot-and-Mouth Disease Antigen Bank

Veterinary experts from countries participating in the Regional Foot-and-Mouth Disease Antigen Bank (BANVACO) met in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, to advance the technical design of strategic FMD antigen reserves for the Americas.

The meeting was coordinated by PANAFTOSA/PAHO-WHO and focused on epidemiological scenarios, risks of introduction and spread, regional disease status and the behaviour of FMD viral lineages in other parts of the world.

Two critical decisions move closer

Experts reached technical consensus on recommendations covering:

1. Priority FMD strains that could be maintained within the regional bank

2. Minimum vaccine-dose quantities required for strategic reserves

The recommendations will now move through BANVACO’s governance structure.

Why an antigen bank matters

FMD emergencies can create an immediate demand for large volumes of vaccine.

A conventional emergency model may require:

Outbreak → strain identification → vaccine selection → manufacturing → procurement → delivery

A strategic antigen bank can shorten the early part of that chain by maintaining relevant antigen stocks that can be formulated into vaccine when required. The objective is therefore response speed.

Dynamic rather than static reserve

An important feature of the BANVACO concept is that the antigen composition is not intended to remain fixed. PANAFTOSA emphasised the need for continuous surveillance of:

• Viral distribution

• New lineages

• Unusual epidemiological patterns

• Emerging variants

• Changing regional risk

The reserve can therefore be updated as the global FMD risk profile changes.

Strategic industry implications

The initiative creates potential significance for:

• FMD vaccine manufacturers

• Antigen producers

• Diagnostic laboratories

• Cold-chain providers

• Veterinary surveillance companies

• Livestock identification platforms

It also demonstrates that FMD preparedness is increasingly being approached at a regional rather than purely national level.

Strategic view

The Americas’ approach is essentially building a regional insurance mechanism against a high-consequence livestock disease.

For cattle-producing economies, the economic value extends beyond preventing animal mortality. FMD can disrupt livestock movement, slaughter, exports and international disease-status recognition.