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Developments to stop the spread of foot and mouth disease
FMD: A deadly disease that could devastate the agricultural economy
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Worried Australian livestock transporters request a temporary closure of Australia’s border with Indonesia following FMD outbreak in Indonesia
FOLLOWING THE DEADLY outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Indonesia, Australian livestock transporters have requested a temporary closure of the AustraliaIndonesia border to prevent its spread in Australia. It is estimated that an outbreak in Australia would cost the livestock industry around US$80bn. During the senate hearing, Mathew Munro, the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association mentioned that such an outbreak would be ‘devastating’ for the whole agricultural economy.
FMD is a highly contagious viral cattle disease and one of the most feared in the world. Environmental resistance of the virus is what makes FMD so remarkable. Its ability to persist on objects such as clothing, shoes, livestock equipment and transport makes it highly transmittable, which means that everything that comes in contact with infected livestock can become contaminated.
FMD is also very painful since cattle that manage to catch the infection tend to develop blisters, which further progress to rupture and produce ulcers. This causes animals to drool and eventually stop walking and eating. Severity of the disease varies depending on the strain of the virus. A report published by The University of Sydney calls FMD a high morbidity, low mortality disease which can have a massive impact on economy.
With the aim of protecting Australia’s US$28.7bn livestock industry, the NSW government recently announced signing a deal with US biotechnology company, Tiba Biotech to source the world’s first mRNA vaccine for FMD and lumpy skin disease. “Our next generation RNA technology is able to safely and efficiently deliver vaccines for both human and animal health needs and has demonstrated more practical storage requirements than existing RNA technologies,” stated Tiba co-founder Peter McGrath in a report published by Region Riverina.
Meanwhile, it is important to strictly follow biosecurity practices to prevent FMD from entering your farm. Two important measures include restricting access by stopping entry of all animals into the farm, and observing, detecting and reporting any unusual signs immediately to the veterinarian. Maintaining hygiene through regular cleaning and disinfection of vehicles and equipments is also an essential step to prevent an outbreak. ■
