b'Foot and MouthDiseaseWhat is it? 8, there were 2,364 confirmed outbreaks in Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is causedBritain, resulting in the slaughter of almost by a picornavirus, of which there are seven434,000 animals 82 . main types, each producing the same symptoms and being distinguishableIn 2001, there was another devastating only in the laboratory 80 . It affects cloven- UK outbreak, which was first found in an hoofed animals, such as cows, sheep, pigs,Essex slaughterhouse. The virus was traced goats, camels and deer. According to theback to a swill farm in Northumberland, governments Department for Environment,where pigs were fed plate scrapings and Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), FMD isother foods of animal origin including pig probably more infectious than any othermeat, that were considered unfit for human disease affecting man or animals andconsumption 83 . Around 6.5 million animals spreads rapidly if uncontrolled. 81 were slaughtered on 10,000 farms 84and the countryside was brought to a standstill. History Most European countries, including Britain, FMD was first shown to be viral in 1897 byhave now been formally recognised as Friedrich Loeffler, and the disease is nowdisease-free but its potential to spread widespread throughout the world.In 1967- rapidly still causes international concern.Routes of transmissionInfected animals secrete numerous viral particles that are capable of becoming airborne before clinical signs appear. Transmission can take place on the wind (in 1981 this occurred over 250 km when pigs in Brittany infected cattle on the Isle of Wight) and by the 16'