S. Korea to produce foot-and-mouth vaccine in 2012

South Korea will produce vaccines for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) next year to protect livestock after the country suffered the worst outbreak of the disease earlier this year, a government agency said Tuesday.

The Animal, Plant and Fisheries Quarantine and Inspection Agency (QIA) said it plans to import FMD antigens from foreign vaccine manufacturers and get local companies to learn production knowhow so the drugs can be mass produced throughout the country.