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Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)
is a highly contagious, usually
non-fatal viral disease of domestic and
wild cloven-hoofed animals, but may
also affect certain other
species. It is widely
distributed throughout the world.
Animals recovered from the disease may
remain carriers of the infectious virus
for an extended period of time. FMD is
not dangerous to humans, but has a
great potential for causing severe
economic losses in susceptible
animals.
Causative agent : FMD
is caused by a non-enveloped Aphtovirus
of the family Picornaviridae, existing
in seven distinct serotypes of FMD
virus, namely, O, A, C, SAT 1, SAT 2,
SAT 3 and Asia 1, most of them with
many more subtypes. Infection or
vaccination with one serotype, or in
some cases even a different sub-type of
the same serotype, does not confer
immunity against another.
Transmission : the
virus is spread easily by animated and
non-animated vectors, notably the
incubating or clinically affected
animal or its products, but may also
spread airborne over substantial
distances.
FMD,
characterised by a vesicular condition
of the feet, buccal mucosa and, in
females, the mammary glands, cannot be
differentiated clinically from other
vesicular diseases.
Laboratory diagnosis,
including isolation of the virus,
detection of viral antigen or nucleic
acid or of specific humoral antibody,
of any suspected FMD case is therefore
a matter of urgency.
Vaccination with the
use of conventional vaccines protects
from disease, but does not prevent
infection and consequently a carrier
state. The Community adopted therefore
in 1990 a policy prohibiting the
prophylactic vaccination against
FMD.
Prevention : however,
in order to further reduce the risk of
incursion of the virus from endemic
areas, the Community at the same time
strengthened the controls at external
borders and engaged considerable
financial resources to assist third
countries in its neighbourhood to
control and eradicate the disease.
It is an OIE listed disease, according to the OIE Classification of Diseases of major importance. This means it is a transmissible disease that has the potential for very serious and rapid spread, irrespective of national borders, that is of serious socio-economic or public health consequence and that has major implication for the international trade in animals and animal products.
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