FMD does not have human health significance. It is a highly contagious viral
disease of cattle, sheep, swine, goats, deer and other cloven-hoofed animals that
causes blisters on the mouth, teats and soft tissues of the feet. The disease is not hoof-and mouth because the virus never attacks
the animal’s hoof. Infected animals have
difficulty eating and walking. They lose weight rapidly. They suffer production loss
from which they rarely recover.
2. Can people get foot-and-mouth disease? Are the meat and milk safe to consume?
FMD is not a significant health risk to
people. Meat and milk of infected animals
are safe to consume. They may be
dangerous as sources of infection to susceptible animals. People can carry the
disease on their clothes and shoes, and also
spread the disease to susceptible animals. The virus can exist in a person’s nose for up to 28 hours after exposure to infected animals and be spread through the air.
3. Is FMD the same as mad cow
disease?
No, they are completely different diseases. FMD is a highly contagious viral disease
of cloven-hoofed animals. It does not have human health significance. Mad cow disease, technically known as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), is
believed to be caused by a protein called a prion and affects the central nervous system of cattle. It was transmitted among cattle in Britain by the practice of feeding rendered protein, such as meat and bone meal, to cattle as a nutritional supplement. This practice has been banned in the United States since October 1997. Prions are highly stable; they resist freezing, drying, and heating at normal cooking
temperatures. The FMD virus is fragile and easily killed by disinfectants.
In Great Britain, a human disease, called New-Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease,
has been attributed to consumption of BSE-infected beef. Mad cow disease has
never been diagnosed in the United States. The United States has an active testing
program in place. FMD was last seen in the United States in 1929. See the chart on
the back for a comparison of these two diseases.
4. How is FMD controlled?
FMD is best controlled by efforts to keep the disease out of our country. Importation
of meat products or infected animals from FMD-affected countries is prohibited.
Contact should be limited between susceptible animals in the United States
and people traveling from these countries. Strict bio-safety procedures should be
practiced on farms and at animal exhibits as well as airports and other sites of
foreign travel entrance into the United States. Vaccination for FMD is possible, but
because the virus mutates quickly, vaccination isn’t always effective.
5. What is being done to prevent FMD from entering the United States and Indiana?
The United States Department of Agriculture is working with the U.S.
Customs Service to monitor all points of entry for international travelers. They want
to make sure the public is aware of this disease and helps contain it.
In Indiana, the State Board of Animal Health is working with the USDA, Purdue
University Cooperative Extension Service and private veterinarians. They are making
livestock producers aware of early disease symptoms and ways to prevent FMD on
their farms. The BOAH has increased surveillance at livestock markets, meat
processing plants, on farms and at all major importation sites to the state.
If FMD gets to the United States, rapid initiation of isolation and quarantine
procedures will limit the damage in our animal population.
6. What can you do?
Follow USDA guidelines if you are traveling internationally to FMD-affected
countries. Avoid farms, stockyards, zoos and livestock fairs in countries affected by
FMD. Wait five days after your arrival to the United States before contact with
FMD-susceptible animals. Launder and dry-clean all of your clothes after the trip.
Clean shoes, luggage and personal items with a bleach solution of five tablespoons
of household bleach and one gallon of water. Stay informed about FMD through
television, radio, newspapers, magazines and the Internet.
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| The difference between mad cow and FMD |
