FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 23, 2001
Media contact: Mark Anthony, ODA Communications, 614-752-9817

Ohio Agriculture Director Urges Precautions Against Foot-and-Mouth Disease
State Ag Department Working With USDA to Help Prevent Introduction of Virus

REYNOLDSBURG -- Ohio’s farmers and international travelers should take precautions against inadvertently spreading foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) into the United States, Ohio Agriculture Director Fred L. Dailey urged today as the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) continued working with its federal counterparts to prevent the introduction of FMD into Ohio and the United States. ODA has set up a toll-free FMD telephone helpline, 1-800-300-9755, to answer questions about this animal disease and what precautionary measures people should take against it.

"Although there is no human health risk involved, everyone should be aware of the seriousness of foot-and-mouth disease and the devastation it would cause to our livestock industry if it is brought here," Dailey said. "We are working in concert with our counterparts at USDA to protect our state and our industry from this destructive animal disease."

Since the initial outbreak in the United Kingdom on February 20 and subsequent outbreaks in other European countries, tens of thousands of animals have been destroyed in an effort to halt the spread of FMD there. Also known as hoof-and-mouth disease, FMD is a highly transmissible viral disease of cattle, swine, sheep, goats, deer, and other cloven-hoofed animals. People do not get sick from exposure to FMD, but  may transport the virus unwittingly in and on their bodies and clothes, especially shoes.

The disease is characterized by fever and blisters followed by erosions on the tongue and lips, in the mouth, on the teats, around and between the hooves. Although not usually fatal, FMD leaves animals debilitated and causes severe losses in the production of milk and meat. There is no cure, and, once infected, animals never rid themselves of the virus. There is no connection between FMD and the so-called “Mad Cow Disease” that also originated in Great Britain.

ODA is working on several fronts to help prevent the spread of FMD to the U.S. and Ohio. FMD is a reportable disease in Ohio, meaning any person who suspects an animal is infected is required by state law to report it to ODA. Since early March the department has been stepping up disease surveillance at and providing fact sheets to state-inspected slaughter plants, state-licensed dairy farms, livestock shows, livestock auctions, and concentration yards across Ohio.

Also, ODA officials have met regularly with regional USDA officials since early March to discuss the threat and initiate cooperative activities to keep the disease out of Ohio. For example, the two agencies have discussed federal inspectors’ activities to keep FMD from entering Ohio through international ports, including military bases, and outlined the responsibilities of both agencies’ foreign animal disease diagnosticians in collecting samples from suspect animals for testing by USDA.

The department is also stepping up in-service training in farm biosecurity precautions for on-farm inspectors employed by ODA and other state agencies. Such precautions help prevent inadvertent transport of infectious contaminants from one farm site to another. In addition, USDA on Tuesday sent an ODA veterinary medical officer to Great Britain as part of a “UK deployment team” whose 30-day mission will be to observe and assist that country’s FMD-control efforts.

Following are precautions Dailey said should be taken to help prevent the spread of FMD and other foreign animal diseases onto Ohio farms:

·        International travelers to the U.S. must declare to customs if they have been on a farm, have been in contact with livestock, and if they have any meat, dairy, or other animal products in their possession.

·        Foreign visitors from farms exposed to FMD should be excluded from farms for at least five days after arrival in the United States.

·        Foreign visitors should be asked to provide information about recent farm and animal contacts.

·        Clothing worn on farms in other countries should be washed and footwear should be disinfected.

·        Animal products, clothes, luggage, cameras and other items from affected countries should not be allowed onto a farm.

·        Walking through feed mangers and physical contact of animals by foreign visitors should be discouraged.

·        When a new animal moves onto a farm, farm owners should be sure that the health status and the source of the animal are known.

·        Animals new or returning to a farm should be separated from the rest of the herd for at least two weeks.

·        Farms should have one common entrance-exit with disposable boots or a disinfectant footbath provided for visitors.

·        All footwear should be disinfected before entering and after leaving an animal housing area.

·        Vehicles such as milk, feed, livestock and renderer collection trucks should be prohibited from driving through areas where animals are housed or feed is kept.

"I can't emphasize enough the importance of taking these precautions on our farms and in our travels," Dailey said. "While this disease continues to spread elsewhere in the world, it is important that we have a heightened awareness of the people who visit our farms and the cleanliness of the products and vehicles entering our animal facilities."

Ohio is home to approximately 265,000 milk cows, 1.2 million beef cattle and calves, 1.5 million hogs, and 142,000 sheep, together valued at nearly $1.13 billion, all of which would be susceptible to FMD if it were introduced in the U.S.

Interested persons may access more information about FMD on the ODA website homepage at www.state.oh.us/agr.

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