Foot and Mouth Disease Highlights SHIC Global Swine Disease Monitoring Report

The Swine Health Information Center reports Foot and Mouth Disease and African Swine Fever remain active and we're seeing stepped up monitoring for New World Screwworm.The Swine Health Information Center's June global swine disease monitoring report shows Foot and Mouth Disease continues to evolve.

SHIC Associate Director Dr. Lisa Becton notes after many months Germany has regained its Foot and Mouth Disease Free status, there have been no new outbreaks in Hungary or Slovakia since April and Brazil and Bolivia have achieved Foot and Mouth disease free status without vaccine but, in Turkey, the FMD SAT1 strain was detected for the first time since 1995.

Quote-Dr. Lisa Becton-Swine Health Information Center:

There is good progress and optimism for Foot and Mouth Disease control in the countries listed.It highlights the need for rapid detection, rapid response and then aggressive implementation of control measures such as culling, the strategic use of vaccines, additional biosecurity steps and cleanup.All of these things can lead to a reduction in outbreaks occurring and also getting back to a foot and mouth disease free status.

But, again, they all do require vigilance and monitoring for clinical signs and aggressive response when it is found.In Turkey it really does highlight the need to continue to identify and survey for these viruses to be able to detect what strains are occurring and then subsequently have the appropriate control measures instituted.

Its also important, as we look at our U.S. travellers, to be vigilant on biosecurity, to change cloths when you're coming back from countries that are Foot and Mouth Disease positive, have downtime if you're hosting foreign visitors, don't bring food back from other countries, such as meat or other meat products.
It really does take focus to ensure the proper biosecurity to prevent foreign animal diseases from coming back into the United States.

Dr. Becton says, for other disease, Slovakia and Lativia both reported new outbreaks of African Swine Fever and ASF remains active in other parts of the world, especially Asia, and New World Screwworm monitoring continues especially in Mexico and other Latin American countries.