About Foot and Mouth Disease:
- It is a highly contagious viral infection that affects cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, buffaloes, sheep and goats.
- Cause: It is caused by an Aphthovirus of the family Picornaviridae.
- Symptoms:
- FMD is characterised by fever and blister-like sores on the tongue and lips, in the mouth, on the teats and between the hooves.
- The disease causes severe production losses, and, while the majority of affected animals recover, the disease often leaves them weakened and debilitated.
- The disease is rarely fatal in adult animals, but there is often high mortality in young animals due to myocarditis.
- It is a transboundary animal disease (TAD) that deeply affects the production of livestock and disrupts regional and international trade in animals and animal products.
- Transmission: It is transmitted through
- Infected animals newly introduced into a herd (carrying virus in their saliva, milk, semen, etc.);
- Contaminated pens/buildings or contaminated animal transport vehicles;
- Contaminated materials such as hay, feed, water, milk or biologics;
- Contaminated clothing, footwear, or equipment;
- Virus-infected meat or other contaminated animal products (if fed to animals when raw or improperly cooked);
- Treatment: Vaccination is the only effective preventive measure against FMD.
