Foot and Mouth Disease Devastations

Celtic Herritag · #1 09/21/05, 09:20 PM

Why is foot and mouth disease so feared I haven't been able to find any information or cases regarding the disease. Why is the entire flock destroyed even if only one sheep breaks out with the disease? Can someone explain why outbreaks are treated with such zeal?

**Ross** · #2 09/21/05, 09:39 PM

It's attacked with zeal (good term!) because by doing so the disease can be erradicated. In parts of the world where it is chronic the economics of keeping livestock border on financial disaster. China the middle east and S America are notable hotspots for the disease. Plus it can infect humans if I remember right.

Celtic Herritag · #3 09/21/05, 10:12 PM

Aye but many other diseases are so why only Foot and Mouth, to my knowledge it is not deadly or even dangerous when passed to humans though there have been a few bad cases they are rare. That's the extent of my knowledge. It just seems that here in the states financial disaster does insue for any caught with foot and mouth. Scary to think about that with just one sheep you could lose your entire flock.

bergere · #4 09/21/05, 10:33 PM

You know I have never gotten a straight answer even from the Federal Vets.

SmokedCow · #5 09/21/05, 11:00 PM

i've done 3 speeches on FMD.. so i know alot..all livestock has to de destroyed cuz the diease incubates for 18HOURS to 21 days. everything is a carrier..Even water. FMD is present in Fluid in the blisters, saliva from animal, exhaled air, milk, dung, and blood. Its spread by CONTACT...so when you go and get the lamb...they rub up on each other...Spreading the diease. All infected stock and any others which have come into contact, and if left alive will develope the diease are slauterd...a precaughtion...You think by now FMD wouldnt be around anymore.
AJ

**Ross** · #6 09/22/05, 07:10 AM

FMD is very resilient and can be spread on the bottom of a pair of boots. Outbreaks are controlled ruthlessly because that kind of control actually works! Now most governments would compensate for your losses (slaughtered for the community paid for by the community through taxes). No doubt there are small herds infected with the disease probably kept by people who wouldn't contact anyone if they had a problem and eventually it spreads like wild fire!

Ronney · #7 09/22/05, 07:17 AM

Celtic,
Pleased you found the site

I live in a country where the disease has not yet infiltrated and like you, have asked the same question - and not really got a clear answer. At the end of the day it is because it is so highly infectious and because it has a severe consequence on production. It it not transmittable to humans nor does it kill the stock that has it. However, lactating cows suffer a huge drop in production, beef, sheep and pigs all go back in condition and take a long time to get back up to prime.

While I can understand the need to eradicate it in the same way as Tb, Johnnes etc. the eradication programe (such as in the UK the last time) also wipes out years of work and in some cases flocks and herds of sheep and cattle that are rare breeds and their only sin is to be within a certain area of F&M but showing no signs of it. I know it's easy for me to say, living in a country where the disease doesn't occur, but I always get this uncomfortable feeling that when it's found, the authorities go into panic mode
with not a lot of intelligence being applied.

Cheers,
Ronnie

Celtic Herritag · #8 09/22/05, 10:46 PM

Hi Ronney. How have things been on your end of the world?

That seems the same to me. We haven’t been exposed to the diseases wake or impact so all we know is that it causes a panic reaction in governments and so we are inclined to panic also. My wonder is that not all highly infectious diseases are treated like this, scrapie, progressive pneumonia, sore mouth can get just as bad but they are only lightly monitored and not as extremely irradiated. And as none of the men in white coats are talking we are left to speculate. Makes a small farmer really nervous when they see the picutres of all those sheep being burnt. Government compensation would amount to nothing and the loss of the entire flock due to a single sheep within 50miles would just break the spirit.

Just a thought and a nagging concern that hopefully will amount to nothing.