Foot-and-mouth disease resurfaces in Europe

Bluetongue and epizootic haemorrhagic disease   (EHD) are two livestock diseases that have been the most discussed in Galicia in recent times due to outbreaks detected in various livestock farms and the damage they can cause to the animal and its owner. However, there are other diseases that threaten the HEALTH of livestock, and among them, foot-and-mouth disease has re-emerged. Unlike the previous diseases, this is a viral disease that is not transmitted by mosquito bites. it is characterized by high contagiousness and high economic consequences.

There is no cause for concern, as the last outbreak in Spain was in June 1986 on a cattle farm in Talavera de la Reina, and vaccination against the virus has not been carried out in the country since the late 1980s. However, the emergence of cases in Europe – first in Germany and now in Hungary and Slovakia – shows that the threat is real and that we must not let our guard down.

Alberto Díez Guerrier, a clinical veterinarian specialising in ruminants and professor of veterinary science at the Complutense University of Madrid, explains that the risk and concern have always existed, and that these outbreaks only “make the problem visible” and remind us of the importance of “careful monitoring” of this infectious disease.

It is endemic to large areas of Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America, so in some cases it is found near Spain. The fact that the disease has reached countries further from its traditional foci is a warning.

In any case, the expert sends an optimistic message: “For these outbreaks to reach us, things would have to be done very badly,” he says, referring to the eleven active outbreaks on dairy farms in Hungary and Slovakia, according to information provided by the Ministry of Agriculture. He emphasizes that there is a surveillance program and contingency plans in place.

Alberto Diez explains that foot-and-mouth disease has no effect on humans, but that it is “quick and easy” to infect animals. And it has a “very large” economic impact, both because of the direct losses it can cause to farms and because of the costs of controlling and eradicating the disease. The vet cites the foot-and-mouth disease epidemic that hit the United Kingdom in 2001, killing millions of livestock and causing “billions” in damage.

Once the disease is detected, legislation requires the sanitary evacuation of affected farms to prevent its spread to other farms. The possibility of urgent vaccination is also being considered .