I doubt there is anyone who doesn’t remember the charnel house the UK became when they had a few, very few..cases of FMD a few years back.
Scenes from Dantes Inferno- misery and heartbreak as animals with no symptoms inc pets were killed “to save the uk” etc etc.
This was in spite of good veterinary advice to the contrary, of such mass slaughter being necessary in a country where most animals WERE vaccinated, and good quarantine and practice could be maintained.
Today I found a report of a disease outbreak in Africa, its not FMD, but its a nasty..and I will post separately on that one later:-)
However the page I found that item on has a mass of reports on GLOBAL outbreaks of Foot and Mouth, and they go back to last year and before that, yet? there has been little? or NO? reporting and certainly no over the top nationwide slaughter as in the UK event.Yes culling but limited events.
once again the company with the reports wont allow even a two word snip, so you are in for a lot of link clicks, sorry.
Believe me..it IS worth doing, the saga is BIG Global and bloody nasty.
There is a Conference being held in Thailand in a few days time , where they plan to announce request to worldwide Banks to supply funding for eradication/vaccines etc.
OIE calls for bank support of FMD campaign
Rather a LOT too late.
The list of affected Countries so far is large and growing.
Russia for close to two years, seems to be the older treatable strain, but open to doubt..
New FMD strain found in Kyrgyzstan
Kazak, kyrgistan, and Russia in this block
New FMD strain threatens Middle East
Egyptian FMD outbreak requires “urgent action”, says FAO
Paraguay: animal health leader steps down after FMD outbreak
FMD outbreak confirmed in China
two events one in Dec’11 and one Jan 2012 in Pigs.Taiwan and then mainland.
sidenote..it appears USA pig exports are rising steeply to China. gee?
Most people who know of FMDx, know Vaccines were available.
However..the new strain not only is spreading widely it is Immune to the present vaccines “protection”, animals who were assumed to be safe are NOT! they are coming down with the new strain..but?..the PTB are still pushing immediate Vaccinations across nations, which is close to a waste of time and money to try and combat this. The Pharmas will be loving it though.
Now the multibillion dollar question has to be HOW????
This implied unknown variant, now named in some reports as SAT2, has managed to spread so widely, you could excuse the central europe mid east as close enough for animals OR people carrying contaminated dirt spores on shoes clothes etc.
That scenario falls over when that strain specifically, gets across an ocean or two to Sth American lands. or it Should..if quarantine ie airports checking regions of travellers ie rural and footwear etc for dirt etc.
When so many ships transporting live animals or workers who have handled live animals on one trip then returning home etc arrive and go back home, often inland etc..lets face it Quarantine on Docks seems to be a lot less efficient, (ie Australia got crazy ants by containers).
Even so, so many areas, widely spread and reasonably close time frames seems to make even that means seem a little less likely.
Contaminated vaccines? or someone using the GM tampered vaccines?
or a planned bioweapon?
another aside:-)
On my post re flying pigs..I mentioned an odd event in a Piggery in Chile that wasn’t ringing true as to stated reasons for stench in the sties. however a mass die iff from FMD and a lot of smelly corpses would make more sense. Unconfirmed just surmising on it,but it is weird.Close enough geographically to be plausible anyway. Reading the Paraguay event made me consider it as possible cause. The stated cause of the dead animals was workers leaving the plant and no food or water to some 500k pigs. Wether they died before or after may be a salient point, but I doubt it will be answered.
——————–Update.
All the above reports say this is a NEW and Novel strain.
However looking for Vaccine info.I find this
FAO confirms spread of novel FMD strain to Gaza Strip
A novel strain of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has been detected in cattle in the Gaza Strip, confirming fears of the spread of the new variant, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today. The FMD strain is new to the area, and animals haven’t acquired any resistance to it, the agency said. The FAO added that vaccines against the novel SAT2 virus are in short supply. In February the SAT2 variant was found in Egypt and Libya, and it was confirmed in the neighboring Gaza Strip area on Apr 19. Juan Lubroth, DVM, PhD, the FAO’s chief veterinary officer, said in a statement that the disease threatens Gulf countries, and perhaps southern and eastern Europe and beyond. He said limiting animal movement is the top priority for preventing the spread of the virus, along with heightened surveillance and quick outbreak detection and response. The FAO said the virus has also been detected in Bahrain, but only at a quarantine center. Israel has targeted herds along its southern border for vaccination to create a protective buffer zone, and the Gaza Strip will receive 20,000 doses to protect its cattle, with 40,000 doses as soon as possible targeting sheep and goats. The FAO and its partners are negotiating with producers and vaccine banks to find more vaccine sources.
May 2 FAO press release
and also this…
BVI and African company with a 5 strain vaccine, however reading the data it seems very shortlived and pretty impracticable for the majority of places where its occurring to be used as required, repeat basic doses and follow ups every 6mths.
————-Engaged readers will have noted the removal of the A for Anthrax word:-)
while Anthrax and FMD can be soil borne, they are NOT the same disease as I wrongly had believed till corrected by a comment here, Many thanks to Cudden Happen:-)
I am posting a snip and link that Proves that Killing of all infected animals really is over the top however as they DO recover and while its nasty for them for a few days, it does not kill adult animals that often, it Can kill young as they dont have physical reserves to be able to not eat for the time their mouth tongues are sore and ulcerated.Some may recover but become carriers, most do not, therefore testing for continued presence, in suspect animals, may be a FAR more economical and sane method than simply going in a killing many thousands of animals.
NOT allowing CAFO operations where diseases, have the very best chance of raging through and mutating, due to sheer numbers of affected cases would also be smart.
http://www.daff.gov.au/animal-plant-health/pests-diseases-weeds/animal/fmd
Is there any treatment or cure?
No. Affected animals will recover. Vaccines can protect against the disease but do not necessarily prevent animals from being infected. Vaccination is used in many countries to control the disease in an endemic situation. In order for a country to regain FMD-free status and limit the economic impacts, it is important to eradicate the virus as quickly as possible. Movement controls and removal of infected animals (along with other complementary control measures such as cleaning and disinfection) are essential to eradicate this disease. Vaccination can be an important tool to assist in containing and eradicating FMD, but its use will have trade implications.
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