Word: viruses
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...when the E.U. decided to adopt the British approach to prevention: immediate slaughter of animals thought to be infected. Why? British vets say vaccines can actually make testing for disease more difficult, since it is impossible to tell whether an animal's antibodies come from the vaccine or the virus. And even vaccinated animals can harbor the live virus for up to two years. Says David Tyson, president of the British Veterinary Association: "If you go down the vaccine route, you cannot be declared disease-free." And that makes it very difficult to sell goods overseas. So the decision...
...farmers receive more cap money than any other E.U. country. And organic farming doesn't necessarily make disease control any easier: the 1967 foot-and-mouth outbreak occurred at a time when small farms predominated in British agriculture. Farmers then kept pigs outside, facilitating the airborne spread of the virus. And for consumers, there's still one major problem with the organic alternative: it's expensive. Shoppers addicted to cheap food are more likely to scoop up the imported products than shell out for high-priced, homegrown organic goods, no matter how safe they promise...
...that? Foot-and-mouth is transmitted within herds through direct contact and through the inhalation of the airborne virus. The disease can even be carried several kilometers over land by the wind and much greater distances over water. Movement of infected animals can spread the disease among separate herds. Contaminated vehicles, equipment, farm products and people can transmit the infection too. The virus can survive for long periods of time in certain meats, bone marrow, viscera and nonpasteurised dairy products. It can also travel from country to country via live animals and meat or nonpasturized dairy products from infected countries...
...there a cure? Vaccines have been successfully used in many parts of the world, though vaccinated animals are not totally resistant to the disease. Animals must be revaccinated every four to six months. Also, vaccines contain inactivated viruses and the inoculated animals can pass the disease on. It is also difficult to tell the difference between a vaccinated animal and one that actually has the disease, since both show signs of the virus in tests. For this reason, many countries ban the import of vaccinated livestock. To eradicate the disease once it strikes, all infected animals-as well as those...
London Britain's European neighbors stepped up frantic efforts to prevent foot-and-mouth disease from crossing the English Channel. As new cases of the contagious animal virus turned up in Northern Ireland and Scotland, Germany ordered the destruction of sheep and goats recently imported from Britain. France sent 50,000 sheep to the slaughter and the European Commission banned U.K. livestock imports until at least March 9. Britain-which had already halted the export of all livestock, milk and meat products-restricted animal movements. The crisis bit deep into the rural economy and reignited national debate about food safety...