History of the WRLFMD

In 1958 the World Reference Laboratory for Foot-and-Mouth Disease was designated by the FAO, with a budget of £250 per annum, and two years later the laboratory was designated as a reference laboratory for Foot-and-Mouth Disease by the OIE (now the World Organisation for Animal Health, WOAH). At this point in time there were regular epidemics of Foot-and-Mouth Disease in Europe (of seroypes O, A and C). There had also recently been outbreaks in Canada (serotype A) and Mexico (serotype O).

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