What is Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD)?

About Foot-and-mouth Disease (FMD):

• It is a severe, highly contagious viral disease of livestock that has a significant economic impact.
  • The disease affects cattle, swine, sheep, goats, and other cloven-hoofed ruminants.
  • It does not affect horses, dogs, or cats.
  • Intensively reared animals are more susceptible to the disease than traditional breeds.
• It is a transboundary animal disease (TAD) that deeply affects the production of livestock and disrupts regional and international trade in animals and animal products.
• The disease is estimated to circulate in 77% of the global livestock population, in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, as well as in a limited area of SouthAmerica. 
• It is not a human health or food safety threat. It is also not related to hand, foot, and mouth disease, which is a common childhood illness caused by a different virus.
• The organism which causes FMD isan aphthovirus of the family Picornaviridae.
  • There are seven strains (A, O, C, SAT1, SAT2, SAT3, and Asia1) which are endemic in different countries world wide.
  • Immunity to one type does not protect an animal against other types or subtypes.
• Transmission:
  • FMD is found in all excretions and secretions from infected animals.
  • Notably, these animals breathe out a large amount of aerosolised virus, which can infect other animals via the respiratory or oral routes.
• The disease is rarely fatal in adult animals, but there is often high mortality in young animals.
• Symptoms:
  • FMD is characterised by fever and blister-like sores on the tongue and lips, in the mouth, on the teats, and between the hooves.
  • Ruptured blisters can result in extreme lameness and reluctance to move or eat.
  • Other frequent symptoms are fever, depression, hypersalivation, loss of appetite, weight loss, growth retardation, and a drop in milk production, which can persist even after recovery. 
• The disease causes severe production losses, and while the majority of affected animals recover, the disease often leaves them weakened and debilitated.
• It was the first disease for which the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE) established official status recognition.
• Vaccines for FMD are available but must be matched to the specific type and subtype of virus causing the outbreak.

Q1: What is the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)?

The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), formerly known as the Office International des Epizooties (OIE), is an international organization that focuses on improving animal health worldwide. It was founded in 1924 in response to rinderpest outbreaks in livestock. It was renamed as WOAH in 2022 to reflect its global role in animal health. It works to prevent, control, and eliminate animal diseases, including zoonotic diseases (which can spread to humans).

Source: DD

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