Native To: First observed
in 1514 in Italy
(AVMA 2007)
Date of U.S. Introduction: Nine Outbreaks of foot
and mouth disease occured in the U.S. between 1905 and 1929. It is
widespread through the world, but it was eradicated from the U.S.
in 1929. (Segarra and Rawson 2001)
Images: Google
Means of Introduction: Contact with infected
animals (CFSPH 2007); eating infected meat (Segarra
and Rawson 2001)
Impact: Contagious
disease of cattle, swine, sheep, goats, deer, and
other cloven-hoofed animals. Foot and mouth disease
is considered to be the most economically devastating
livestock disease in the world, and represents
a worst-case scenario for livestock diseases because of the variety
of species involved, rapid spread, and difficulty in
controlling outbreaks. The 2001 FMD outbreak in Great
Britain resulted in the slaughter of more than 6
million animals and an estimated economic loss of
20 billion dollars.
(AVMA 2007)
Resources:
Foot
and Mouth Disease
USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Foot
and Mouth Disease
Iowa State University. Center for Food Security and Public Health.
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