Perfidious-Linkages of the Director Indian Veterinary Research Institute with FMD-CP Failure

My Letter to the Director IVRI

To,

The Director ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute (Dr. R K Singh), Izatnagar, Bareilly

Sub: Regarding FMD Vaccine related discussion in IRC today (13-08-2019) in the forenoon during the presentation of Dr. AK Sharma’s Project “Sequence-based typing of BoLA–Class II genes and performance of cattle infected with FMDV under natural conditions”, approved by the chair.

Sir,

During FMD Vaccine related discussion in IRC today (13-08-2019) in the forenoon with reference to the presentation of Dr. AK Sharma’s Project “Sequence-based typing of BoLA–Class II genes and performance of cattle infected with FMDV under natural conditions”, approved by the chair. Some important points came up and disturbed my thoughts regarding the utility of FMD-CP.

1.       In the discussion, Dr. Sharma disclosed that in IVRI herd at Mukteshwar protective titres were absent after six months of vaccination against FMD using IVRI-produced vaccine. However, it is often claimed by vaccine producers that vaccine ensures protection for 10-11 months.

2.       In 2013, despite vaccination twice in a year at IVRI Mukteshwar animals and three times in a year, vaccinated animals on another private Farm where protective titres were more than 2.4 (required is 1.8 only) FMD outbreak occurred affecting 30-50% of animals, i.e., the vaccine was proved ineffective. The pertinent question is, either the so-called protective titres are really protective or it is also as false as the benefit of so-called FMD-vaccination. The study referred by Dr. Sharma also revealed that the virus isolated in the outbreak was no different than the virus used for vaccine production. Does this indicate that the vaccine was bogus (produced by IVRI itself) or any other explanation is with you?

3.       If vaccination three times in a year despite with good protective titres and herd immunity failed to protect the animals against FMD virus infection, that too by a similar type of virus as used in vaccine preparation then:

a.        by what knowledge of virology you can recommend the utility of FMD vaccination as you are doing for the last several years.

b.      how you can say that monitoring of protective titres to ensure seroconversion on vaccination is an effective measure to evaluate vaccine efficacy in the field?

c.       how can you say that the ongoing FMD-CP is effective or is of any use in light of the above facts?

4.       The proposal by Dr. Sharma, though questioned by several scientists, approved today focus on the detection of BoLA–Class II genes to establish its relationship to the susceptibility of animals to FMDV under natural conditions. However, he wants to study in a small number of animals that suffered from FMD in 2013 at Mukteshwar in a vaccinated herd where the outbreak precipitated just after vaccination. I failed to understand how this study population justifies a natural condition when the study population was vaccinated and the outbreak occurred just after vaccination. It might be a vaccine-induced outbreak or outbreak due to the vaccine used and was in a protected group of animals instead of animals under natural environment. The suggestion that the study should be conducted at Port Blair where there was no vaccination of FMD since last several years but the outbreak has occurred just a few months back, why it is not acceptable.

5.       On my suggestion for taking the study population at IVRI, Izatnagar, which is larger, and FMD the outbreak occurred in 2015 only, I got a very interesting and amazing reply that details of the investigation of the IVRI, Izatnagar outbreaks are not available. Sir, my questions are:

a.       Why IVRI, Izatnagar FMD outbreak was not investigated properly in detail? Do we lack the expertise to investigate or we destroyed the details of the investigation intentionally? If we lack the expertise then why we claim to be Premiere Veterinary Institute, why we hold CDDL (Central Disease Diagnosis Laboratory)? Why do we claim to home the best virologists of India?

b.      Does IVRI, Izatnagar FMD outbreak was not investigated to protect suppliers of the vaccine? If so, for what? If not, then why the case was not filed against vaccine supplier as the outbreak precipitated just after a week of the vaccination? Do you have some malefic linkages with the vaccine producer/ supplier?

Sir, the above questions are boggling me since after the discussion today in the forenoon and request you to kindly respond in this regard. Failing to receive any suitable response from your end may strengthen my belief that you, directly or indirectly, are involved in the whole scam of substandard FMD-CP vaccines, often responsible for several of the FMD outbreaks.

Sincerely yours

BR Singh

(Bhoj R Singh)

Head, Division of  Epidemiology

Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar-243122, Bareilly, UP, India.