Friday, 28 February 2014 00:00
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Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is spreading rapidly in Sri Lanka, raising huge concerns for the dairy industry and the welfare of the public. According to reports, the disease is spreading rapidly around Polonnaruwa, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee, Puttalam, Ampara and Vavuniya, causing significant havoc.
Regional authorities have taken steps to ban the transport and sale of meat as well as attempting to protect the central region where dairy production is at its highest. Experts have also called for the expensive dairy cows imported with the aim of making Sri Lanka self-sufficient in milk to be vaccinated as early as possible to protect their stock. Over 3m600 animals have already been identified as infected, while many others could either be infected or carrying the virus unknowingly.
Obviously, FMD has severe implications for animal farming, since it is highly infectious and can be spread by air as well as through contact with contaminated farming equipment, vehicles, clothing or feed. Its containment demands considerable efforts in vaccination, strict monitoring, trade restrictions and quarantines, and occasionally the killing of animals. But this is not necessarily foolproof because the virus is genetically highly variable, which limits the effectiveness of vaccination.
The silver lining is undoubtedly the fact that FMD is rarely fatal to humans. FMD is sensitive to stomach acid, so it cannot spread to humans via consumption of infected meat, except in the mouth before the meat is swallowed. In the UK, the last confirmed human case occurred in 1966 and only a few other cases have been recorded in countries of continental Europe, Africa, and South America. Symptoms of FMD in humans include malaise, fever, vomiting, red ulcerative lesions and small blisters on the skin. Aware of these unpleasant effects, large numbers of the public have limited themselves to poultry, but greater awareness needs to be made both to protect and prevent panic among the masses.
Online sources detail that epidemics of FMD have resulted in the slaughter of millions of animals, despite this being a frequently nonfatal disease for adult animals (2-5% mortality), though young animals can have a high mortality. The destruction of animals is primarily to halt further spread, as growth and milk production may be permanently affected, even in animals that have recovered. Due to international efforts to eradicate the disease, infection would also lead to trade bans being imposed on affected countries.
Critics of current policies to cull infected herds argue that the financial imperative needs to be balanced against the killing of many animals, especially when a significant proportion of infected animals, most notably those producing milk, would recover from infection and live normal lives, albeit with reduced milk production. However, culling is generally practiced to stop the spread of the disease which otherwise could become systemic.
With hundreds of farmers facing the possibility of losing their livelihoods and being set back financially for years, it is clear that the Government needs to put its full weight behind controlling this situation. In fact it will also need to invest significantly in not just financial compensation but regular testing, larger and competent vet services, loan schemes to resume business and greater understanding of how outbreaks can happen.
The industry also needs regulation so the public knows that what they are eating is safe, a standardisation program so the whole sector can be managed competently. Given the immense investment already made to improve milk production, it is now time for protection.
