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Foot
and Mouth Disease Also called Hoof and Mouth disease, it's a highly infectious viral disease of swine, cattle and other cloven-hoofed animals. It does not cause illness in people, but it's one of the most contagious animal diseases. It spreads very quickly if it isn't controlled and can be devastating to agriculture. It has not been reported in the United States since 1929 and was eradicated in Canada in 1952. Outbreaks of Foot & Mouth over the last century have primarily been in South America and Europe. It has recently erupted in England and several other European countries, as well as in Argentina. Some confusion arises because there is a disease in children called Hand, Foot & Mouth disease. The Hand, Foot & Mouth disease in children is caused by a completely different virus from a different family of viruses not at all related to Foot and Mouth disease. Symptoms in cattle and pigs with foot-and-mouth disease are a sudden fever, after which blisters appear around the hooves, in the mouth and nose and on the udders of females. Most of the sick animals salivate excessively and some of them are unable to stand because their hooves are painful and tender. Mature animals usually recover, but foot-and-mouth disease can be fatal for young animals. Despite the fact that mature animals usually recover, they've lost weight, milk production will be down, pregnant animals often abort and they can carry the virus for up to 2 years. The disease is spread by the discharge from the blisters and by the saliva of infected animals. The virus is known to live on clothes, shoes, animals, farm equipment and even on the wind. Animals that don't get sick from the virus, like dogs, horses and humans can contaminate livestock facilities and equipment and susceptible animals. To prevent the disease from re-surfacing in the United States, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) bans the import of animals and animal products from areas know to have foot-and-mouth. They also strictly monitor all ports of entry into the United States. Passengers that have traveled to infected areas are required to disinfect their shoes. Luggage and cargo from those areas is also inspected for animal products that could spread the disease. Additional Resources:
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