Foot and mouth disease

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) has been a virus that exists, affecting cloven hoofed livestock such as cattle, sheep, pigs, deer, and goats. This virus does not affect horses as they are equine. This virus is highly contagious and can persist in soil and surfaces for long extended periods of time.

Origin
FMD is currently present in Asia, middle east, Africa, and South America and more recently Bali and other islands in Indonesia which is why this has created a lot of media coverage since it is a big holiday destination for tourists.

Transmission
There virus can be found in the animal's meat, milk, faeces, saliva, and breath making this an incredibly contagious disease since all it takes it for another animal to breath, ingest or through contact of infected material or animal. For countries that already have FMD, the most common transmission is through the movement of infected animals from one farm to another. There is also an incubation period of up to two weeks where livestock will not show symptoms. Sheep are especially good at transmitting the virus since their symptoms expressing much more mildly compared with other hoofed livestock, . For countries that don't have FMD they do not allow the import of animal products to protect their agriculture industry, this means mud, straw, and manure stuck to footwear, clothing, or equipment are what poses a risk to a countries biosecurity.

The virus can live in the soil and on farm for several weeks, if not longer if contained in organic matter. It has been found fortunately that the virus can be deactivated with many disinfectants.

The costs of FMD
The cost to Australia could be very big, the department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry estimate a loss of $52 billion AUD over ten years, this was done in 2013, and now in 2022 the same severe event could cause upwards and over $80 billion AUD. For the Australian government there is a very big incentive to monitor and prevent FMD from entering into Australia.

Symptoms and production
The virus appears as a fever with excessive drooling and mucus. Blisters will form on the animal's in and around the mouth, teats and feat which will eventually heal after bursting. The virus will cause only a few fatalities, however, the virus can have significant impacts on the production since the virus can make the animal be unwilling to eat, cause abortion, drop in milk production, and cause sudden death in young.

Prevention and control
Preventing the disease from entering Australian farms and controlling incursions will be the strategy to keep Australia FMD free. Farmers can tighten their biosecurity in the following ways:

1. Keeping track of visitors and livestock traffic. In the event of an incursion, transmission of the disease will easier to track, you'll also know if any herds are at risk if they were transported from an area found to have an incursion of FMD.
2. Clean footwear and equipment. Having basic troughs or baths where workers, visitors, and vehicles can go through to sanitize tires and footwear to reduce the possibility of an incursion on your farm. An inspection can also go a long way not only to prevent disease but to also prevent weeds such as double gee entering your farm.
3. If you know workers that have come from or are going to FMD infected countries, allowing them time before entering your farm (7 days) or providing with fresh work wear and footwear to ensure they're  not introducing organic matter that may be contaminated with FMD. This goes the same with visitors that may have come from FMD infected areas.
4. Feeding livestock meat is an illegal practice in Australia, it is also a very easy way to infect your livestock with FMD since it is transmissible from ingestion. Feeding livestock meat can also cause numerous other issues for your livestock.

When an incursion occurs in Australia, the government will look towards a control, contain and destruction management of FMD. This means that the Australian government will control the traffic of the known infected animals as well as the at risk livestock too. By controlling the movements of infected livestock it allows the government to research into where the livestock came from and where other potentially infected livestock is out there.

Once all known infected livestock have been tracked, controlled, and contained the government will look towards destroying the disease and this will most likely include the destruction of the livestock. This will be done via euthanasia in the most humane way possible and the farmer will have an arrangement for compensation. Vaccination is also a tool that the government will use and currently has a overseas vaccine bank if required.

For more information visit the Australian government website at: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/pests-diseases-weeds/animal/fmd

If you suspect that you may have FMD please contact the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888.