About sixty cattle animals have been culled at a farm in Surrey, England, after tests came back positive for foot-and-mouth. Immediately, authorities set up a three-kilometer zone around the infected farm as a measure to try to stem the spread of the disease. A further radius of ten-kilometers is being monitored for animal movements. An eight-kilometer air exclusion zone around the affected area is also in place.
Gordon Brown, UK Prime Minister, who has had to cancel his summer vacation trip to Dorset for a *COBRA meeting, said authorities are doing everything in their power to eradicate this outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. He assured the public that experts are working around the clock to find out its source (how and where it started). “I want to do everything in our power immediately to get to the scientific evidence, to look at the source of what has happened, to set up a number of inquiries so that we can actually move very quickly, I mean within hours and days, what has actually happened, and then to eradicate this disease in Britain. We will be doing night and day everything in our power to make sure that what happens quickly and happens decisively in a way that can reassure people that everything is being done,” Mr. Brown said.
* (COBRA – stands for the Civil Contingencies Committee. It is a British cabinet committee which is chaired by the Home Secretary. It deals with such events as terrorist attacks and natural disasters.)
The whole country has established a ban on the movement of all livestock. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is concerned about the possibility of other outbreaks – it has asked farmers to be extra vigilant.
Debby Reynolds, UK Chief Veterinary Officer, said in a press conference “(there is a) strong commitment to work with everybody in the countryside concerned. It is a big blow for it to be back in UK territory, but our objective is to eradicate it and to learn the lessons learned after 2001, to use the lessons learned for a speedy, systematic and scientific response.”
Foot-and-mouth symptoms were reported at the farm on Thursday evening – tests soon confirmed foot-and-mouth.
Authorities say the number one priority at the moment is to do everything possible to prevent the disease from spreading. A top priority is also piecing together information on how it might have got there in the first place. Ms. Reynolds has urged all UK farmers to examine their animals carefully for any symptoms of foot-and-mouth.
In 2001 a foot-and-mouth outbreak caused the destruction of over 7 million heads of cattle in the UK. The economic toll was estimated at £8.5 billion ($17 billion).
Mainland Britain has imposed a voluntary export ban on animals and animal products, according to an announcement by DEFRA. The European Commission is expected to impose a ban on the exports of UK animal, meat and dairy products.
What is Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD)?
FMD is an infectious disease which affects cloven-hoofed animals, especially cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and deer. The disease is serious for animal health and the economic welfare of the farming (livestock) industry. Even though FMD is not usually fatal for adult animals, its effects on loss of productivity can be devastating. FMD can cause milk yields to drop significantly and animals often become lame. FMD can be fatal and on a large scale for young animals.
The after-effects of FMD are serious. Affected animals lose condition and are especially susceptible to bacterial infections. A dairy cow is much more likely to suffer from chronic mastitis, which permanently reduces the value of the cow. Animals which recover from FMD are much more likely to be infertile.
FMD is Caused by a Virus
FMD is caused by a virus of which there are 7 main types. These types can only be differentiated in the laboratory, as their symptoms are identical – fever, followed by blisters (vesicles) mainly in the mouth and feet.
The seven main virus types are: O, A, C, SAT.1, SAT.2, SAT.3 and Asia 1 – each type has subtypes. The average incubation period is between three to eight days – it has been known to be shorter and as long as 14 days. The UK 2001 outbreak was the pan-Asiatic O type.
An animal that recovers from one virus type is not protected against infection from any of the other types.
How does Foot and Mouth Spread?
Enormous numbers of the virus are present in the fluid of the blisters, and to a certain extent in saliva, milk and dung. Any objects that come into contact with the blister fluids are a serious danger to other healthy animals. At its peak, FMD is present in the blood.
Before symptoms begin animals start excreting the virus. Pig’s dung can be especially contaminated.
Under favorable conditions, the disease can spread through the air for a considerable distance.
Animals become infected either as a result of direct contact with a sick animal or by contact with foodstuffs, dead carcasses, or touching anything a sick animals has touched.
With intensive farming these days animals are transported long distances and rapidly. This movement of animals and vehicles can accelerate the speed and distance of FMD spread. Even the roads themselves can become contaminated, increasing the risk that other vehicles pick them up.
How Common is Foot and Mouth Disease?
FMD is endemic in many parts of Asia, South America and Africa. In 2001 the UK, Eire (Ireland), France and the Netherlands had outbreaks of FMD.
Can Humans Get FMD?
According to the UK Department of Health, human infection of FMD is extremely rare. The only recorded human case in the UK was in 1966 – symptoms were similar to influenza (flu), plus some blisters and were fairly mild. There is a human condition, known as Hand Foot and Mouth disease, which is unrelated to FMD, and does not affect animals.
The exact details on the measures that apply in Protection and Surveillance Zones can be found on the Defra website here.
Written by: Christian Nordqvist