TotheTop

To the top, so people like me will know what's going on Right Now. I have tickets to London this spring, but have started to work on plan B. Problems with food, cancelled events, hassels at the airport, etc. don't sound like much fun. <BR>

Ger

"Tothetop": <BR> <BR>It's probably way too early to panic about summer vacations in the British Isles. <BR> <BR>The government are taking a very aggressive, and therefore very visable, strategy at containing the problem. It will probably become apparent in the next 14 days if they have been successful at containing the problem (and let's all hope that it is contained). <BR> <BR>For those of you that have booked walking holidays in the country, check the BBC web site to get the latest reliable updates: <BR> <BR>http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/sitemap/index.shtml <BR> <BR>Ger

medic

to ann thank you. i goofed. hand foot and mouth not the same as foot and mouth of cattle. i checked further references and it did state the although human transmission is rare it can occur with foot and mouth disease. that is what i wanted to say the first time around. my memory goofed on that one and im glad to be corrected so misinformation does not occur regards

elvira

I just got back from a too-short trip to Scotland (thanks again, Sheila, for a terrific time!) and, just by sheer luck, wore shoes I planned to throw away before I came home. Whew - no worries about bringing it back to the U.S. <BR>And, as a sidebar, this is a heads up for anyone who thinks sneaking back meat from a trip is cool. All those customs restrictions are for a reason...

StCirq

Both France2 and Deutschewelle News reported tonight that the problem is ubiquitous in the UK, save for Scotland. Cars arriving in France from Great Britain are being scoured with a detox solution. Another 11,000 animals are being slaughtered. Deutschewelle, which itself reported that some 8,000 German cows infected with tuberculosis in southern Germany were being exterminated tonight, called the problem "a problem of epic proportions." Sounds rather ominous to me. The pictures of British authorities in what looked like bomb-squad attire with masks, and the big signs saying "Foot and Mouth Disease Area - Danger - Do Not Enter" certainly turned me off any immediate desires to travel to the Isles.

kam

I think, but am not certain, that the U.S. immunizes against this disease. Does anyone know if we are susceptible to the virus coming in from the UK?

Ann

I don't know if th US does immunise, but I understand that the virus is not unlike that of the common cold and has several forms. Immunisation is not always effective and anyway does not give lasting defence. A good summary can be found at http://www.dis.strath.ac.uk/vie/CaDD...cioliasis.html

John

The US is more likely to be susceptible to infection from a country where it is endemic. But yes, it is posssible. <BR>FMD is endemic in parts of Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America, with sporadic outbreaks in disease-free areas. Countries affected by FMD in the past twelve months include Butan, Brazil, Columbia, Egypt, Georgia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kuwait, Malawi, Malaysia, Mongolia, Namibia, Russia, South Africa, Taipei, Tajikstan, Uruguay and Zambia. The last major outbreak of the disease in the EU was in Greece last year. <BR> <BR>Another good site for information http://www.maff.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/fmd/qa1.htm

Top

some good information sites here

frank

Stopping this disease spreading is very difficult, like stopping influenza. <BR> It is still spreading fast, its not going to go away soon. <BR>In some countries anything from the UK is being treated as poison, one French airline is incinerating all its trash from every UK flght (but then thats the French for you). <BR>Point is the response differs at different borders: I've heard nothing <BR> about US reaction but they shouldn't imagine distance is much of a barrier in these days of international travel. <BR> I'm trying to find out whether my girlfriend can take her horse to the beach today : looks like a no-no.

xx

I think you'll find that horses aren't affected Frank, though it's posible they could spread the germs. I have read, though, that airborne transfer is the main route, and that all this disinfecting of feet and tyres etc is just a precaution.

zz-top

Per following website: <BR>http://www.thisislondon.com/dynamic/index.html <BR> <BR> <BR> -- Foot-and mouth cases rise to 48 -- <BR> <BR>Another five cases of foot-and-mouth disease have been confirmed taking the total number of cases to 48. <BR> <BR>The cases were confirmed in Cumbria, Lancashire and Oxfordshire, by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. <BR>This comes after another case was confirmed in Durham. <BR> <BR>Approximately 45,000 animals have now been slaughtered as a result of the disease, including 6,300 animals which may have come into contact with infected animals. <BR>Earlier the Scottish executive confirmed a fresh case of the disease at a farm in Canonbie, Dumfries and Galloway. <BR> <BR>Some local authorities are working throughout the weekend to prepare for a flurry of applications from farmers wanting to move their stock to abattoirs under the restricted licensing scheme. <BR>Agriculture Minister Nick Brown said: "I would have thought that people would have got their plans all sorted out by Monday and the applications would have been received by then or earlier and we would have got products moving by Tuesday or earlier." <BR>He also said that the Government must ensure that the ban was not lifted before appropriate measures were in place to guarantee that the disease had been controlled and eradicated. <BR>Vets from abroad are travelling to England to help inspect the animals. <BR> <BR>

ichindar

Any ideas on when the ban will be lifted? I'm going to England on March 14th and staying in the Severn/Cotswolds region. I don't want to go, though, if all the footpaths and sites will still be closed. <BR> <BR>I heard somewhere that this is a short-lived disease and easily contained with post-infection immunizations. Is it possible the worst part of this will be over within the next two weeks and the sites will return to normal?

Sheila

I think the chance of the restrictions bing lifted by 14th march are negligible. As I said elsewhere, if you want to walk, you're talking towns or beaches. <BR><BR>PLEASE stay away from farms with animals, or places there are deer

Scotty

Will this affect walking in Scotland, as well, such as Skye, Wester Ross?

Barbara

Scotty, <BR> <BR>Yes!

xxx

This is a very serious situation. <BR> <BR>Anyone visiting England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland ( and, perhaps Belgium & France, in light of recent discoveries), within the next four weeks, should realize that access to the countryside will be extremely limited and most farmers will not welcome hikers, as you may spread this disease. <BR> <BR>Governments have asked that no-one travel to rural areas unless absolutely necessary. The Irish government has asked that Irish people resident in England not visit Ireland until the crisis is over. <BR> <BR>If you are traveling to the UK or Ireland in the next four weeks for a "walking tour", your itinerary may be seriously curtailed. Please check the tourist web sites for updates. There have been other interesting and informative posting on this subject in other threads - search on "foot & mouth" <BR>

Art

I'm not trying to make light of a very serious situation, but isn't it called Hoof and Mouth disease? Cows, sheep etc have no feet. <BR>Hopefully not only for you planning vacations in the British Isles but for all of the farmers and everyone else over there, the disease will be controlled soon. <BR>

zz-top

Art - <BR> <BR>Yes, I've been wondering about that as well -- people have feet, sheep/goats/cow have hooves; but every story that I read calls it "foot and mouth". <BR> <BR>And it appears this has serious potential to spread even further. <BR> - == - == - == <BR> <BR>Official fears tourists may bring foot-and-mouth <BR> <BR>March 2, 2001 <BR>Web posted at: 5:12 PM EST (2212 GMT) <BR>WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- A Washington state official said Friday he may ask the U.S. government to disinfect all passengers arriving at Seattle's airport from countries where foot-and-mouth disease has been detected if the disease affecting mostly British livestock becomes widespread. <BR> <BR>Foot-and-mouth disease is highly contagious among pigs, goats and sheep but rarely affects humans. However, people can inadvertently spread the disease with contaminated shoes or other items. <BR>"If it does get that bad -- say all of Europe is affected by this and we have travelers going back and forth -- I probably would like to see some kind of disinfection foot bath at the airport for flights that are coming directly from there," said Robert Mead, Washington state's veterinarian. <BR>Mead has already issued a warning that state residents who have traveled to the United Kingdom in the past 30 days should not visit Washington farms, ranches and zoos. He said he did not know if any other U.S. states were taking similar steps. <BR>"It's a serious matter," Mead said. "It looks almost impossible for Britain to get a hold on this." <BR>An outbreak of the disease in Britain last month has prompted nations across Europe and Asia to ban imports of pigs, sheep and goats from Britain. In Ireland, some 1,000 unarmed troops and police have begun operating checkpoints on roads to enforce a ban on animal movements and disinfect vehicles. <BR>France said it would destroy 50,000 sheep as a precaution and set up disinfection controls at its ports for vehicles arriving from Britain. <BR>British military bases in Cyprus said on Friday that passengers arriving from Britain will be asked to walk on a disinfected mat or dip their shoes in a tray of liquid on arrival. <BR>A chief concern for many nations is the risk of humans wearing contaminated clothing or shoes that can pass the virus to healthy animals. <BR>"U.S. animals are highly susceptible. If an outbreak occurred, the virus could spread rapidly to all parts of the country through routine livestock shipments unless detected early and eradicated immediately," Mead said. <BR> <BR>

Sheila

Scotty,<BR><BR>Yes; even where there are not sheep or cattle, there are deer. We, in Scotland, and the rest of the UK have been asked to just stay away from animals. I live in the country. I will not visit a farm, or walk in the hills, or go onto Bird Reserves or anything, till this is cleared.<BR><BR>You are probably OK on beaches and in cities, but that's it.<BR><BR>I remember the last time in 1967. This is the most awful thing to happen to farming; much worse than BSE.<BR><BR>And Art, I spotted the differnece in vocabulary a few days ago. It is definitely Foot and Mouth here; but it could be anything elsewhere.