Foot and mouth disease: the future of vaccine banks.

The authors briefly review the history of vaccine banks for foot and mouth disease, their current location and their constituent serotypes and strains, together with the occasions on which they have been activated. Experimental studies on emergency vaccines are summarised and areas identified for further investigation. The future of such banks is considered, including the principal strengths and weaknesses of existing banks, and suggestions are made for potential improvements. The fact that the banks have been activated on relatively few occasions over the 25 years of their existence testifies in part to the relatively rare calls which have been made upon them, but also reflects the difficulty in deciding when and how to utilise emergency vaccination. Nevertheless, in an era of increasing global risks of the spread of foot and mouth disease, banks will most certainly continue to have strategic and tactical importance in the control of this most readily communicable of animal diseases.