What is Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)?
Q: What is Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)?
A: Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious disease that affects domestic animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and deer.
Q: What causes FMD?
A: Foot-and-mouth disease virus causes the disease.
Q: Can FMD infect humans?
A: Generally, it is believed that FMD is not very contagious to humans. However, humans can spread FMD by carrying the virus on their clothes and body.
Q: Which animals are susceptible to FMD?
A: Domestic animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and deer are susceptible to FMD.
Q: Why does FMD break out all over the globe?
A: FMD breaks out all over the globe because it is highly contagious to many animals.
Q: Who first described FMD?
A: Hieronymi Fracastorii (1546) was the first to describe FMD. He described the disease as highly unusual and affecting only cattle when it occurred in northern Italy in 1514.
Q: How would you stop the spread of FMD?
A: The best way to stop the spread of FMD is to quarantine and isolate infected animals and properly dispose of infected carcasses. It is also important to practice good biosecurity measures such as limiting visitors, disinfecting equipment and clothing, and keeping animals separated.
