Transmission Dynamics and Emergency Control in an FMDV-Free Country with Pasture-Based Livestock Production Systems

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is one of the livestock diseases with the greatest economic impact worldwide, causing major losses to the livestock sector and disrupting international trade. Although many countries are free of the disease, the risk of reintroduction remains.

This PhD research explores how foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) spread between farms during Uruguay’s 2001 epidemic and how control measures reduced transmission over time. Using epidemiological analyses and modelling approaches, the study quantified the contribution of livestock movements and farm-level characteristics to disease transmission and assessed the effectiveness of emergency vaccination in controlling the epidemic. The findings improve our understanding of FMDV spread in pasture-based livestock systems and provide evidence to support outbreak preparedness and response planning in FMDV-free countries.

The results show that the disease had already spread widely before it was detected, highlighting the importance of early detection and preparedness. They also demonstrate that emergency vaccination can rapidly reduce transmission between farms.