Vaccine for Eradication and in Post-eradication of Rinderpest
A century ago, rinderpest, an animal disease was causing damage to livestock around the world. Persistent efforts by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with support from national veterinary services, livestock owners and regional and international organizations, culminated in eradication of the disease in 2011.
History has shown that efficacious vaccines played a key role in the eradication of rinderpest. Multicontinental vaccination campaigns proved to be the most powerful strategy towards ending the rinderpest scourge.
In 1950s, FAO supported the development of improved affordable vaccines that were used globally for rinderpest control interventions. For the first time, there was hope of eradicating the disease. This initiative, with vaccination as the main tool, led to rinderpest becoming the second infectious disease that humans have successfully eradicated from our planet.
Seamless coordination and partnerships were key to final success. FAO established the Global Rinderpest Eradication Programme in 1994, a flagship initiative of FAO's Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal Diseases. The programme strategy consisted of mass vaccination campaigns of cattle and buffaloes, distribution of thermostable vaccines, and determination of post-vaccinal immunity through continuous epidemiological surveillance.
FAO supported Members that were infected by rinderpest, by training epidemiologists and laboratory staff and by procuring laboratory equipment. Training workshops were also held on surveillance, diagnosis, vaccine production and disease management. These skills and materials developed for the eradication of rinderpest were critical for the control of other livestock diseases. Overall, FAO promoted many tools and techniques that were successfully used in rinderpest eradication, such as quality assurance of vaccine and serological tests; use of thermostable vaccine that facilitated vaccine delivery into inaccessible areas beyond cold chains; community-based vaccination programmes using animal health workers, and in addition to other technical interventions.
FAO has established a rinderpest secretariat along with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and with assistance from a Joint Advisory Committee for carrying on with safeguarding the global freedom through a biodefense strategy. The strategy includes establishment of high biocontainment rinderpest holding facilities, safe removal of remaining virus stocks from laboratories, development of a global rinderpest action plan, establishment of vaccine reserves and vaccine seed bank, awareness creation among stakeholders, and building capability and capacity for non-infectious diagnostic tools.
Rinderpest eradication is one of the major successes for humanity and FAO. It still remains one of the top priorities in FAO’s quest to defeat hunger and improve lives through agriculture. With the eradication of rinderpest in animals, livestock production, the livelihoods of millions of livestock farmers are at lesser risk. “We are working with Members to safely destroy any remaining rinderpest virus or sequestrate valuable virus strains in the FAO-OIE Rinderpest accredited Holding Facilities.” Said Keith Sumption, Chief Veterinary Officer, FAO during the 10th rinderpest anniversary commemoration.
For preparedness against re-emergence, FAO commissioned the French Agricultural Centre for International Development (CIRAD) to establish and host the first rinderpest vaccine seed bank for manufacture of quality vaccines. The vaccine seed bank will be used for production of vaccines in the case of re-emergence and for replenishing the rinderpest vaccine reserves. Currently, there are restricted supply of vaccine doses of the attenuated rinderpest virus; RBOK or LA-AKO strain at the vaccine reserves in African Union Panafrican Veterinary Vaccine Centre (AU-PANVAC), Africa and the National Institute of Animal Health, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NIAH, NARO) in Japan; respectively, for regional and global response. Additionally, FAO is developing an operational framework for the deployment of vaccine in response to a rinderpest event.
CIRAD has supported the rinderpest eradication efforts from the start, the RBOK rinderpest vaccine strain has been stored in this laboratory since 1986 in a freeze-dried form. To produce the master and production seeds, the strain had to be revitalized and cured of any contamination using modern cell culture techniques. “Our strict quality control procedures meeting the updated standards for the detection of adventitious agents show that all our efforts have paid off and we have now a rinderpest vaccine master and production seed bank ready in case of emergency.” – Geneviève Libeau, CIRAD.
Effective implementation of a post-eradication strategy has been essential in maintaining the freedom from rinderpest. This is best coordinated through global and regional players such as the OIE, FAO and Regional Economic Community. To improve advocacy and educational efforts on the use of vaccines as critical measure for control of animal diseases, FAO has published a book on Veterinary Vaccines: Principles and Applications, which provides concise and authoritative reference on the use of vaccines against diseases of livestock. “This book will immensely help veterinary practitioners, animal health officials, vaccine scientists, and veterinary students.”Said Samia Metwally, Senior Animal Health Officer, FAO during the official launch of the book.
The greatest lesson from the current COVID-19 pandemic is that preparedness is better achieved through the availability of effective vaccines. This year (2021), marks the tenth anniversary of rinderpest eradication in 2011. FAO along with its partner organizations continues its support to the expansion of the vaccine reserves, and other measures for preparedness to mitigate risks of this deadly disease around the globe.