Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is spreading rapidly through cattle in Indonesia, and on Tuesday the first cases were confirmed in Bali, a popular tourist destination with direct flights to seven Australian cities. “FMD would be devastating if it got to Australia,” said the country’s chief veterinary officer Mark Schipp, who advises the government on ways to keep the virus out. Foot-and-mouth disease is harmless to humans, but it causes painful blisters and lesions in the mouths and feet of ungulates, including cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and camels, preventing them from eating and in some cases causing severe lameness and death. The disease is considered the biggest biosecurity threat to Australian livestock and an outbreak could lead to mass culling of infected animals and shut down Australia’s lucrative beef export market for years to come. “The impact on farmers if foot-and-mouth takes hold is too disturbing to think about,” said Fiona Simson, president of the National Farmers’ Federation. “But it’s not just about farmers. Wiping $80 billion out of Australia’s GDP would be an economic disaster for everyone.” Australia has begun stepping up biosecurity checks at airports, screening luggage for meat and cheese products and warning tourists that dirt on their shoes could inadvertently trigger Australia’s first outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in 150 years. But one yet-to-be-released control is footbaths — vats of powerful chemicals that new arrivals step into to kill any traces of disease they might carry in their shoes. The problem is that the footwear commonly worn in laid-back Bali is not compatible with standard biosecurity measures. “A lot of people coming back from Bali don’t wear boots, they wear flip-flops or thongs or sandals, and you can’t afford to put that chemical on your skin,” Schipp said. He said officials are considering telling tourists to ditch their shoes. “Not wearing shoes at all or leaving shoes behind,” Schipp said. “If you wear a thong in Bali, then leave it behind in Bali.” The advice has not become a formal guideline — yet — and is one of several options being considered, he added.
Indonesia explosion
Foot-and-mouth disease is already spreading rapidly in Indonesia, where the first cases were detected in April. By May Indonesian authorities had notified Australia, which – along with New Zealand, Central and North America and continental Western Europe – is free of FMD. Indonesia tried to implement a vaccination program, but as of June 27, only 58,275 of the country’s herd of about 17 million had been vaccinated, Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limbo said in a tweet. Schipp said the slow growth reflected logistical challenges in a decentralized country made up of thousands of islands. “You can have the vaccine available nationally, but it has to be released provincially and regionally. And when it gets there, the question is how do we get it to the animals? We don’t have paddocks. We can’t catch the cattle. We don’t we have money for gas. We don’t have money for food allowance,” he said. “They’re the kinds of logistical issues we’ve been trying to work with them on.” The timing of the outbreak was devastating in Indonesia, coming weeks before Idul Adha, the “feast of sacrifice”, when animals are usually sold in large volumes for slaughter for three days from July 10. After families pray and share a meal together, they sacrifice animals and distribute the meat to the poor. Mike Tildesley, an expert in infectious disease modeling at the University of Warwick, told CNN that it is not the slaughter that dramatically increases the risk of infection but the “significant movement of animals before festivals”. “We see this in Turkey — there is a festival every year (where foot-and-mouth disease is endemic) called Kurban, which also involves the slaughter of significant numbers of animals, before the massive movement of animals across the country and an increase in reported cases of foot-and-mouth disease. is commonly seen when this occurs,” he told CNN in an email. “It is also possible that transmission may occur as a result of contact with carcasses, particularly in the first hours after slaughter and therefore the disposal of potentially infected carcasses should be done with great care,” he said. By July 7, Indonesia’s outbreak had spread to more than 330,000 animals in 21 provinces, according to the agriculture ministry. Thousands more doses of vaccine had arrived from France and more than 350,000 animals had been immunized.
Fine line between disease and vaccination
When FMD was detected in sheep in the UK in 2001, the results were devastating. At the time, the government’s emergency plans covered contamination at 10 properties, according to a government report. Instead, the disease spread to 57 locations before it was detected, and then a lack of coordination slowed the development of emergency vaccinations. In the seven months since the virus has been eradicated, more than 6 million animals have been killed. The UK was readmitted to the list of FMD-free countries the following year, but the impact was far greater than trade. The report found that “tourism has suffered the biggest economic impact from the outbreak, with visitors to Britain and the countryside put off by initial trail closures by local authorities and media images of mass fires”. The whole episode cost the government and the private sector a total of 8 billion pounds ($9.5 billion). Other countries have learned from the UK’s response and usually, if an outbreak is detected, a curfew will be imposed before animals are killed and sites are decontaminated. For Australia, vaccinating animals is only an option once the virus enters because its trading partners do not distinguish between a vaccinated and a sick animal. “If we were to vaccinate prophylactically, we would lose our health status as an FMD-free country and we would lose trade and market access,” Shipp said. Ross Ainsworth, a 40-year-old vet who lives in Bali, says it’s very easy for tourists on the island to come into contact with cattle and bring the virus home. “There are cattle everywhere and those cattle will become infected and transmit the virus,” he said. The virus can stay alive for a few days in the sole of a shoe, or a little longer if it’s colder, he said. “So if you came out of your villa and put some contaminated saliva on it and got in a taxi and flew home, you’d have another day and a half of viable virus on your leg, potentially,” he said. The National Farmers’ Federation has welcomed the increased biosecurity checks, but says the government should “constantly review” security arrangements and potentially subject all incoming travelers from high-risk areas to a biosecurity inspection. “Every person should at least be questioned by a biosecurity officer, if not inspected,” said Simson, the NFF President. “We also need to continue to look at shoe disinfection stations as an option,” he said. “Whatever it takes. We don’t want to look back and wish we had done more.” Until potentially contaminated shoes are thrown away or foot baths are made mandatory, Schipp says the best defense is education. Advertising campaigns are being introduced at airports and on social media — but Schipp said that doesn’t mean telling tourists to stay away from cows. “Seeing cattle in Bali is part of the experience,” he said. “But it’s very easy to wash your hands and make sure your boots are clean before you go home.” Masrur Jamaluddin contributed reporting.
title: “Foot And Mouth Disease How A Dirty Flip Flop Could Wreak Havoc In Australia " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-19” author: “Joseph Runquist”
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is spreading rapidly through cattle in Indonesia, and on Tuesday the first cases were confirmed in Bali, a popular tourist destination with direct flights to seven Australian cities. “FMD would be devastating if it got to Australia,” said the country’s chief veterinary officer Mark Schipp, who advises the government on ways to keep the virus out. Foot-and-mouth disease is harmless to humans, but it causes painful blisters and lesions in the mouths and feet of ungulates, including cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and camels, preventing them from eating and in some cases causing severe lameness and death. The disease is considered the biggest biosecurity threat to Australian livestock and an outbreak could lead to mass culling of infected animals and shut down Australia’s lucrative beef export market for years to come. “The impact on farmers if foot-and-mouth takes hold is too disturbing to think about,” said Fiona Simson, president of the National Farmers’ Federation. “But it’s not just about farmers. Wiping $80 billion out of Australia’s GDP would be an economic disaster for everyone.” Australia has begun stepping up biosecurity checks at airports, screening luggage for meat and cheese products and warning tourists that dirt on their shoes could inadvertently trigger Australia’s first outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in 150 years. But one yet-to-be-released control is footbaths — vats of powerful chemicals that new arrivals step into to kill any traces of disease they might carry in their shoes. The problem is that the footwear commonly worn in laid-back Bali is not compatible with standard biosecurity measures. “A lot of people coming back from Bali don’t wear boots, they wear flip-flops or thongs or sandals, and you can’t afford to put that chemical on your skin,” Schipp said. He said officials are considering telling tourists to ditch their shoes. “Not wearing shoes at all or leaving shoes behind,” Schipp said. “If you wear a thong in Bali, then leave it behind in Bali.” The advice has not become a formal guideline — yet — and is one of several options being considered, he added.
Indonesia explosion
Foot-and-mouth disease is already spreading rapidly in Indonesia, where the first cases were detected in April. By May Indonesian authorities had notified Australia, which – along with New Zealand, Central and North America and continental Western Europe – is free of FMD. Indonesia tried to implement a vaccination program, but as of June 27, only 58,275 of the country’s herd of about 17 million had been vaccinated, Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limbo said in a tweet. Schipp said the slow growth reflected logistical challenges in a decentralized country made up of thousands of islands. “You can have the vaccine available nationally, but it has to be released provincially and regionally. And when it gets there, the question is how do we get it to the animals? We don’t have paddocks. We can’t catch the cattle. We don’t we have money for gas. We don’t have money for food allowance,” he said. “They’re the kinds of logistical issues we’ve been trying to work with them on.” The timing of the outbreak was devastating in Indonesia, coming weeks before Idul Adha, the “feast of sacrifice”, when animals are usually sold in large volumes for slaughter for three days from July 10. After families pray and share a meal together, they sacrifice animals and distribute the meat to the poor. Mike Tildesley, an expert in infectious disease modeling at the University of Warwick, told CNN that it is not the slaughter that dramatically increases the risk of infection but the “significant movement of animals before festivals”. “We see this in Turkey — there is a festival every year (where foot-and-mouth disease is endemic) called Kurban, which also involves the slaughter of significant numbers of animals, before the massive movement of animals across the country and an increase in reported cases of foot-and-mouth disease. is commonly seen when this occurs,” he told CNN in an email. “It is also possible that transmission may occur as a result of contact with carcasses, particularly in the first hours after slaughter and therefore the disposal of potentially infected carcasses should be done with great care,” he said. By July 7, Indonesia’s outbreak had spread to more than 330,000 animals in 21 provinces, according to the agriculture ministry. Thousands more doses of vaccine had arrived from France and more than 350,000 animals had been immunized.
Fine line between disease and vaccination
When FMD was detected in sheep in the UK in 2001, the results were devastating. At the time, the government’s emergency plans covered contamination at 10 properties, according to a government report. Instead, the disease spread to 57 locations before it was detected, and then a lack of coordination slowed the development of emergency vaccinations. In the seven months since the virus has been eradicated, more than 6 million animals have been killed. The UK was readmitted to the list of FMD-free countries the following year, but the impact was far greater than trade. The report found that “tourism has suffered the biggest economic impact from the outbreak, with visitors to Britain and the countryside put off by initial trail closures by local authorities and media images of mass fires”. The whole episode cost the government and the private sector a total of 8 billion pounds ($9.5 billion). Other countries have learned from the UK’s response and usually, if an outbreak is detected, a curfew will be imposed before animals are killed and sites are decontaminated. For Australia, vaccinating animals is only an option once the virus enters because its trading partners do not distinguish between a vaccinated and a sick animal. “If we were to vaccinate prophylactically, we would lose our health status as an FMD-free country and we would lose trade and market access,” Shipp said. Ross Ainsworth, a 40-year-old vet who lives in Bali, says it’s very easy for tourists on the island to come into contact with cattle and bring the virus home. “There are cattle everywhere and those cattle will become infected and transmit the virus,” he said. The virus can stay alive for a few days in the sole of a shoe, or a little longer if it’s colder, he said. “So if you came out of your villa and put some contaminated saliva on it and got in a taxi and flew home, you’d have another day and a half of viable virus on your leg, potentially,” he said. The National Farmers’ Federation has welcomed the increased biosecurity checks, but says the government should “constantly review” security arrangements and potentially subject all incoming travelers from high-risk areas to a biosecurity inspection. “Every person should at least be questioned by a biosecurity officer, if not inspected,” said Simson, the NFF President. “We also need to continue to look at shoe disinfection stations as an option,” he said. “Whatever it takes. We don’t want to look back and wish we had done more.” Until potentially contaminated shoes are thrown away or foot baths are made mandatory, Schipp says the best defense is education. Advertising campaigns are being introduced at airports and on social media — but Schipp said that doesn’t mean telling tourists to stay away from cows. “Seeing cattle in Bali is part of the experience,” he said. “But it’s very easy to wash your hands and make sure your boots are clean before you go home.” Masrur Jamaluddin contributed reporting.
