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Subject:
Outbreak of food and mouth disease
Category: Health > Conditions and Diseases Asked by: aloy-ga List Price: $4.00 |
Posted:
28 Apr 2002 06:42 PDT
Expires: 17 May 2002 09:36 PDT Question ID: 6446 |
I am running a farming property where we rear beef cattle and sheeps. I am concern on how an outbreak of food and mouth disease in Australia would impact the income. Wish to find out: 1)Which organisations within Australia are working to prevent an outbreak of foot and mouth disease? 2)Like to know what these organisation recommending? 3)What measures are being taken? |
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The following answer was rejected by the asker (they reposted the question). | |
Subject:
Re: Outbreak of food and mouth disease
Answered By: seeker-ga on 28 Apr 2002 10:27 PDT |
Thank you for your concern regarding Foot and Mouth(FMD)disease in Australia. It appears that the Australian Veterinary Association(AVA) along with other organisations is trying very hard to tackle this problem.The AVA is fully aware of the threat of FMD and the economic damage it can cause to the Australian economy. Currently there is no danger of FMD in Australia, however, the recent report according to the President of the Australian Veterinary Association(AVA) Dr. Ian Denney is that &quot;Fortunately, we have not seen FMD in Australia for well over a century but the growth in international trade and tourism means we are always at risk of having the virus reintroduced here.&quot; On April 18, 2002 the The Australian Veterinary Association has announced plans to fly some member-veterinarians to the UK to help the fight against Foot-and-Mouth Disease and bring this vital knowledge back to protect Australia's $10 billion a year livestock export industries. Dr Ian Denney said &quot;the organisation was gravely concerned about the potential disaster that FMD would trigger if the present outbreak in the UK and Europe was to reach our shores.&quot; Dr Denney said the AVA had raised the plan to send private veterinarians to gain FMD experience with the Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Mr Truss, during a meeting in Canberra three weeks ago. While officials appear to be marking time, the AVA wants to get the program moving by providing the airfares for at least two of its private practitioner members. The UK Government has expressed its willingness to offer contracts to such volunteers. Dr Denny stated &quot;Because the AVA is so concerned about the threat posed by FMD we have decided to start sending our own members- as a sign of our good faith and as a spur to the Federal Government to move things along,&quot; For more informattion please contact The Australian Veterinary Association: <a href="<a href="http://www.ava.com.au/">http://www.ava.com.au/</a>"><a href="http://www.ava.com.au/">http://www.ava.com.au/</a></a> Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) Mr Dennis Ringrose, AVA Communications Manager Ph 02 9411 2733. PO Box 371 Artarmon NSW 2064 Australia (02) 9411 2733 (phone), (02) 9411 5089 (fax), avahq@ava.com.au (email). For Federal(Commonwealth) Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Mr Truss, Phone - (02) 6277 7520 Email-W.Truss.MP@aph.gov.au For a Web directory of several related Australian Agricultural Associations please see: <a href="<a href="http://www.farmwide.com.au/cca/OtherSiteLinks.htm">http://www.farmwide.com.au/cca/OtherSiteLinks.htm</a>"><a href="http://www.farmwide.com.au/cca/OtherSiteLinks.htm">http://www.farmwide.com.au/cca/OtherSiteLinks.htm</a></a> Other related information from the United States Department of Agriculture regarding Foot and Mouth disease(FMD): &quot;FMD is a highly contagious and economically devastating disease of cattle and swine. It also affects sheep, goats, deer, and other cloven-hooved ruminants. Many affected animals recover, but the disease leaves them debilitated. FMD causes severe losses in the production of meat and milk. Because it spreads widely and rapidly and because it has grave economic as well as physical consequences, FMD is one of the animal diseases that livestock owners dread most. The disease does not affect food safety or humans. Foot-and-mouth disease can be killed off by heat, low humidity, or some disinfectants. It is only rarely fatal, although it is more likely to kill very young animals. There is no cure for the disease, and it usually runs its course in 2 or 3 weeks with most animals recovering, although some animals take up to 6 months to fully recover.&quot; Definitions from United States Department of Agriculture website: <a href="<a href="http://www.aphis.usda.gov/oa/pubs/qafmd301.html">http://www.aphis.usda.gov/oa/pubs/qafmd301.html</a>"><a href="http://www.aphis.usda.gov/oa/pubs/qafmd301.html">http://www.aphis.usda.gov/oa/pubs/qafmd301.html</a></a> I hope this information helps you. I would be happy to help you with further clarifcation(s) if you so desire. Seeker | |
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Reason this answer was rejected by
aloy-ga:
The researcher has not fully answer my question post... I am not satisify with the answer given. |
Subject:
Re: Outbreak of food and mouth disease
Answered By: molloch-ga on 10 May 2002 21:57 PDT |
Hi Aloy Will try and answer your foot and mouth queries as best as possible. Some of the links that have been provided to you from other researchers are excellent and contain all of the information you require. I will attempt to put this information in a concise form and step you through the points of your question. I will add in small pieces of information from my background. I work in the Veterinary industry in Victoria, Australia and have university education specifically in Agriculture and Biology. 1) Which organisations within Australia are working to prevent an outbreak of foot and mouth disease? The Australian Federal government co-ordinates all work pertaining to the prevention of a Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak in Australia. Smaller organisations are involved, such as the AVA (Australian Veterinary Association) and specific government departments such as AQIS (Australian Quarantine) are responsible for keeping the disease out. The prevention of an outbreak has been broken down into 7 main areas: International Off-Shore Prevention National Border Prevention FMD Knowledge and Technical Resources for Eradication Preparedness Strategies to Optimise the Initial Response Minimising the Social and Economic Impacts of Outbreaks Communications, Media and Training Responses Administering the FMD/BSE Program http://www.aahc.com.au/hot_issues/fmd.htm Most of these stages are to do with keeping the disease out of the country. The reason for this is that FMD is a virus, and can not be treated. Animals can be supported until their immune systems cope with the disease, but there is no magic cure for animals which have contracted the virus (except death). There are unlikely to be companies working on a cure as FMD is a virus and viruses are unable to be cured with todays medical technologies. The only way we can control its spread is by isolating the virus and culling animals that have contracted the disease. For this reason the companies associated with controlling this disease are involved with quarantine (making sure that no material capable of transmitting the virus enters Australia) and disease identification (Vets and Farmers being educated to identify and respond to disease outbreaks). AUSVETPLAN (The Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand) has constructed a very detailed Emergency plan for the event of a FMD outbreak. The 73 page document describes in great detail almost all aspects of the disease in Australia. Reading this document will answer most of your questions in relation to this topic, on page three they have a list of companies/organisations that were involved with researching and input into this document. http://www.aahc.com.au/ausvetplan/fmdfinal.pdf 2. Like to know what these organisations [are] recommending? The emergency plan recommends that farmers are aware of the clinical signs of the disease and record accurately all movements of animals and animal products entering and leaving their premise. This will assist in the tracing of a disease outbreak for better containment. They also recommend that all animal products used are treated for the disease before use, especially stock feeds such as milk and pellets containg animal products. The organisations also recommend a number of quarantine measures to stop animal by products and materials that may carry the virus from entering the country. Australia still accepts materials from other countries that may contain the virus. During the 2001 outbreak in the UK Australia received machinery from Europe which had mud and presumably animal faeces covering them. Animal faeces can certainly spread the virus. Another recommendation is feral animal control. FMD cannot spread within our native wildlife but may quickly spread through feral animals such as goats, pigs and deer. These organisations recommend that these feral animals are culled as heavily as possible. The plan does NOT recommend vaccination as this can mask the disease whilst still allowing its spread. Also the cost of vaccination is abhorrent. More recommendations can be read in the emergency plan and are too detailed to list here. Most of the recommendations are aimed at government bodies associated with quarantine and trade. http://www.aahc.com.au/ausvetplan/fmdfinal.pdf The Animal Health Australia has links to many sites with specific disease information. http://www.aahc.com.au/hot_issues/fmd.htm 3. What measures are being taken? Many measures are being taken. Quarantine services fiercely restrict the import of any animals that may carry the disease. Also workshops and seminars are held widely across Australia for farmers and interested parties. A vaccination stockpile is maintained so that in the event of a serious outbreak, animals could be vaccinated. AQIS also keeps watch for illegally smuggled products and animals that can carry the disease into Australia. There have been outbreaks of FMD in the past (last one was in 1872 when a bull was imported from Europe) and there no doubt will be outbreaks in future. Most organisations feel that the best way to handle this is to: Make every effort to keep FMD out of the country. Make sure Farmers and Vets are able to identify the disease and understand how it is spread. Make sure a traceable network of stock movement is maintained so that an outbreak can be traced back to its source quickly. Reduce the number of feral animals able to carry and spread the disease. If you are interested in taking this further, I would recommend contacting Animal Health Australia to see if there are any seminars on FMD available in your area. Animal Heath Australia Suite 15 26-28 Napier Close Deakin ACT 2600 Phone: (02) 6232 5522 Facsimile: (02) 6232 5511 E-Mail: aahc@aahc.com.au The two links above will provide all the information you require about FMD. However to research the topic further, the links provided by seeker will also be useful. Please let me know if there is anything you need clarified. Good luck with your projects. Molloch. | |
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Subject:
Re: Outbreak of food and mouth disease
From: ibarton-ga on 28 Apr 2002 07:47 PDT |
Hi aloy, Animal Health Australia (A not-for profit public Company established by governments and livestock industries) seems to be a quite involved organization in regard to the assesment and prevention of foot and mouth disease. Their website is available at: http://www.aahc.com.au/hot_issues/fmd.htm They have a concise list of resources at the bottom of the page that list disease information and other organizations. Although i am not an australian citizen, a press release found through a quick search on google resulted that the australian government in august 2001 hired numerous staff to ensure saftey from FMD, the press release is available here: http://www.law.gov.au/aghome/agnews/2001newsjus/e175_01.htm Hope this helps. |
Subject:
Re: Outbreak of food and mouth disease
From: johnfrommelbourne-ga on 28 Apr 2002 08:46 PDT |
Unlike the other person who commented I am an Australian and living in sheep country, (on weekends at least when I go home to Mum and Dad. I was thinking initially that you dont know much about the subject or even sheep as first you call "Foot and Mouth" "Food and Mouth" which has a different connatation completely. Also the plural of sheep is still sheep not "sheeps". However now I am thinking that your English is just not that good and you do seriously worry about the situation in Australia. Firstly there is no Foot & Mouth in Australia and never has been as far as I know. The latest available info is that at this point in time the chances of an outbreak are extremely low and some say negligable. In any case you can get a complete rundown on the Australian viewpoint by logging onto any one of a number of sites who have experts available to answer such questions. First amongst such organisations would be " Australian Cattle & Livestock Association","National Farmers Federation", "Australian Graziers Association" to name a few. Any of these should come up on your screen just by using GOOGLE query normally and adding word Australia after the above organisation names. Hope this helps, as the Americans say in closing. I would say " Good Luck with it mate" |
Subject:
Re: Outbreak of food and mouth disease
From: johnfrommelbourne-ga on 28 Apr 2002 09:20 PDT |
.........just quickly and adding to previous comment from me, if you still want more definitive and authoritive info on the subject and/or the question is not comprehensively answered to the standard you hoped for then simply let this be known in comments section yourself and I will provide a higher level response myself. |
Subject:
Re: Outbreak of food and mouth disease
From: aloy-ga on 29 Apr 2002 08:25 PDT |
Thanks for your comments(johnfrommelbourne), is it possible for you to provide more definitive and authoritive info on the subject? Is there any other relevant information from other resources such as Online database or Dialog Online Search Services? |
Subject:
Re: Outbreak of food and mouth disease
From: johnfrommelbourne-ga on 01 May 2002 06:51 PDT |
Dear Alloy, Just got your message as I was about to go to bed so see what I can do in next day or so and get back to you as soon as I can. I have the flu bad as well so just give me a little time. However does GOOGLE leave COMMENTS section open for longer periods or close it down after a week or so ???. Will talk again soon, John |
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