In our paper we mainly evaluate the effect of various surveillance schemes and the risk of missing infected animals. Based on this evaluation, we consider the risk low if all vaccinated ruminants are sampled and a statistical sample on Quizartinib manufacturer all the farms with vaccinated pigs (to detect 5% prevalence with 95% confidence). In non-vaccinated sheep (or other species where clinical signs are often absent) a sample should be taken to detect 1% of the infected herds with 95% confidence and 5% infected animals on those farms with 95% confidence. In this case a

waiting period of 3 months since the last case will be sufficient (N.B. the ambiguity of sampling in Article 56 of the EU Directive should be corrected). If sampling of all vaccinated ruminants is impossible to achieve, then

within and between herd design prevalence rates of less than or equal to 5% and 1% should be used for NSP serosurveys. The risk of missing infected animals is then higher, and a waiting period of six months after the last case should be applied. Follow-up of positive NSP reactors should be performed on a case-by-case approach in which laboratory, epidemiological and other information is used in decision-making. Since an effective control programme is the best guarantee that the threat of FMDV infection has been dealt with, more effort should be directed towards demonstrating this, specifically with more emphasis on demonstrating vaccine effectiveness. Countries using emergency vaccination could undertake a heterologous in vivo vaccine potency test to directly GS-1101 in vitro show the level of protection provided by the vaccine used against challenge with the virus causing the outbreak and to provide serological correlates of protection to calibrate SP serosurveys of the population immunity achieved

by vaccination. Delaying the decision to vaccinate so as to avoid the complications of post-vaccination surveillance will make matters worse if vaccination cannot ultimately be avoided. DJP drafted the initial manuscript following discussions in the OIE Ad Hoc Group for FMD. All next authors reviewed and revised the manuscript and approved the final version as submitted. This work was supported by the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) grant agreement number 226556 (FMD-DISCONVAC). DJP was also funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. We thank colleagues from the OIE’s Ad Hoc Group on FMD and from the European Commission for the Control of FMD for many related discussions. Conflict of interest statement: All authors attest to having no conflicts of interest. AEF was involved in drafting the EU Directive on FMD control. DJP, AEF, WV, KDC are members of the OIE Ad Hoc Group for FMD that advises on revisions of the FMD chapter within the OIE Code.