Quick response in fighting Foot-and-Mouth-Disease

In the fight against Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) our colleagues from the Veterinary Public Health (VPH) Center achieved another success by helping to contain an outbreak of the disease on the island of Rodrigues in just six days.

The international team delivered 180,000 vaccine doses to the affected areas on Rodrigues island before FMD could spread to the neighboring island of Mauritius. FMD is a highly contagious disease and affects cloven-hoofed animals (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs), causing major economic and social losses for breeders.

Woman unloads FMD vaccines on Rodriguez island

The swift mobilization was made possible thanks to longstanding relationships with local and international authorities, such as the Mauritius Veterinary Department, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) and the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD). In just one week after the order, VPH Center teams dispatched one pallet (911 vaccine vials) to Mauritius which was then sent on to the small island of Rodrigues, located 580 kilometers away in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

A global epidemiological surveillance network

By working closely with Veterinary Authorities, the VPH Center plays a major role in the prevention and control of transboundary and emerging diseases. “We’re part of a genuine global epidemiological surveillance network. It’s in our DNA to integrate our social and health responsibility in our day-to-day working. This speedy response for Rodrigues demonstrates our capacity and commitment to participate in global veterinary public health," explains Dr. Stéphane Imbert, Regional Director for Africa, Turkey and the Middle East, VPH.

About our VPH center

Boehringer Ingelheim’s VPH Center is one of the world’s leading Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine manufacturers and a longstanding partner of health authorities, governments and non-government organizations such as the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), or the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

In order to better meet customer needs and to access different market environments, The VPH Center has put in place seamless cooperation between all Boehringer Ingelheim functions to ensure a quick-decisions loop to allocate the right supply in the right lead time for the satisfaction of the customer:

Finished product solution in regions where outbreaks are sporadic
Bulk vaccine solution through local partnerships in endemic regions
Antigen bank solution for disease-free regions (FMD & BTV)

With more than 70 years of experience in the production of vaccines against FMD and other TEDs (transboundary and emerging diseases) such as bluetongue virus (BTV) or rabies, the VPH Center includes five R&D centers and five production sites worldwide. Boehringer Ingelheim is currently investing over 200 million EUR in a new strategic FMD antigen production center in the Rhône-Alpes region of France, near Lyon, which is expected to be operational by 2023.