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Bulletin No. 21 - Spring 2005
VirologyFoot-and-Mouth Disease
DEVOS N
La mondialisation des échanges augmente la menace de fi?vre aphteuse [Internationalization of trade increases the threat of foot-and-mouth disease].
La Semaine Vétérinaire, Nº1159, 2004, 41-42
This paper is based on the relation made by Dr Gourreau at the meeting of the French animal-society-food association (ASA) and French Veterinary Academy that took place at the OIE headquarters in October 2004. The fact that foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) remains an actual threat in Europe is emphasized. Several factors such as the evolution of livestock industry (higher densities of animals), movements of animals (considered the major source of diffusion of the disease), movements of animal products and foodstuff contribute to the spread of disease and can hamper the implementation of control measures in case of an outbreak. Animal health in Europe relies on the quality of controls on flows of live animals and animal products (meat), within the European Community and from extra-European countries. A major issue in this context is the clandestine (and thus uncontrolled) trade of animals and animal products. The events of 2001 in Great Britain show that the virus can take advantage of unexpected transmission vectors, such as plane tray meals, to spread. The appropriate identification and registration in a centralized database of all livestock animals (ANIMO system) is an absolute necessity for a reliable traceability and an efficient implementation of control measures in case of an outbreak. In addition, sanitary controls in Europe should be enhanced and improved. Following an outbreak, four key elements allowed to limit the spread of FMD: the rapidity of detection of the disease, the traceability of the animals involved, the culling of the first affected animal and the culling of all animals with which it had contacts.
