Australia: They would launch a synthetic vaccine for FA and LSD in August 2023

As indicated by the Australian portal ABC, the first synthetic vaccine in the world for foot-and-mouth disease and contagious lumpy skin disease (LSD) would arrive in August of next year thanks to a government investment of 6 million Australian dollars (almost $17.6 billion). The funding announcement was made at the first New South Wales (NSW) state biosecurity conference, which was attended by a range of industry experts who came together to discuss exotic diseases currently threatening Australian livestock. This year has presented unprecedented risks to growers and the industry, as local growers also faced varroa destructor (mite), Japanese encephalitis (affecting pigs, horses, and humans), and a variety of threats to vegetation. Current FMD vaccines cannot be used locally as they contain live virus, which means that any vaccinated animals would have to be euthanized for Australia to retain its FMD free status. Hence the interest in creating a synthetic vaccine. “We want to be ...