Hoof & Mouth vaccination

[Marco Anglesio]

On Mon, 2 Apr 2001, Michael Pollak wrote:
> Could you elaborate on these "peacetime" restrictions, since they seem to
> be the nub?  Or maybe direct me where I could look it up?  Many thanks.

Well, barriers on trade are nationally implemented. However, the Office
International des Epizooties (International Office of Epizootics - that
is, animal epidemics) of the world organization for animal health
specifies activities which risk communicating FMD. 

http://www.oie.int/eng/flash/en_norme_fa_czi.htm
 
> That goes equally for vaccinated and non-vaccinated nations, yes?

It's a national concern, but I doubt that any nation is keen on bringing
more FMD into their territory even if it is endemic. It's classified as an
OIE list A disease - a transmissible disease that has the potential for
very serious and rapid spread, irrespective of national borders, that are
of serious socio-economic or public health consequence.

More to the point, the public health measures for containing FMD are
either vaccination (which has its drawbacks) or mass culls of afflicted
herds. Movement around an afflicted nation tends to be constrained during
an outbreak. Finally, commercial slaughter (as opposed to culls) of
animals is probably out of the question because of the public health
consequences of slaughter at an abbatoir (the virus becomes aerosolized,
and can travel great distances; the abbatoir itself cannot easily be
decontaminated).

The CBC Newsworld (for those LBO readers that get Newsworld) program
Counterspin had an interesting discussion on FMD last night; an
agricultural economist asserted that rampant FMD across Africa was partly
responsible for poor agricultural production there in meat and dairy,
especially for small landholders or tenant farmers.

It's entirely possible that I've missed a few important points here, so if
you're at all interested, check out the OIE site.

Marco

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