Export potential

credit: FAO

For the past year, Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) has been giving serious cause for concern in East Asia. But, perhaps even more worrying, are the unprecedented outbreaks, in recent months, of the disease in South Africa and Saudia Arabia, which are evidence of the disease occurring outside its 'normal' area of distribution and invading new territories. Meanwhile, in Taiwan, a re-occurrence of the disease is awakening anxieties over the potential for it to disrupt livestock production. In contrast, the economic benefits accruing from the progressive regional control of FMD is clear in Latin America where international trade prospects are opening up as a result of successfully co-ordinated control. And yet, even in this part of the world, an exotic type of FMD has recently been reported in cattle in Argentina. In other regions, such as Uganda, FMD remains endemic and prospects for eradication of the disease in the near future appear unlikely.

Compared to diseases, such as rinderpest, mortality rates as a result of FMD infection in adult animals are relatively low. However, FMD is highly contagious, affects all cloven-hoofed (ungulates) animals and results in serious production losses and reduction in international trade of livestock products, particularly as the FMD virus can survive even in salted and cured meats and in inadequately pasteurised dairy products.

Inactivated vaccines have been successfully used in many parts of the world and have been part of the regional control efforts in Latin America. However, although vaccinated animals are protected against the effects of the disease, they can still become infected and pass on the virus to other animals. Resistance also falls fairly quickly so animals have to be revaccinated at regular intervals (4-6 months) to maintain immunity. In addition, there are seven types of FMD virus, which are then divided into sub-types and strains. New strains often show significant genetic differences from other strains of the same type, rendering some vaccines ineffective and hindering control efforts.

South Africa

The recent outbreak in KwaZulu Natal reported in September 2000 has been of FMD type O - the virus known to be circulating in Asia but not previously reported in southern Africa. The province produces about 10% of South Africa's annual production of pork. Namibia has already banned imports of all South African pork and the import of cattle and small stock from the infected and neighbouring provinces. Investigations into the source of the virus confirmed that swill was illegally obtained from a visiting ship at Durban harbour and fed to pigs. Despite immediate slaughtering of over 600 pigs and other animals on the affected farmed, and all surrounding farms within a 10-km-radius zone being placed under strict quarantine restrictions, another outbreak has been reported 8km from the infection epicentre. The latest outbreak has been detected in a communal cattle herd and will result in over 500 cattle, 100 pigs and 150 goats being destroyed. These outbreaks are the first reported cases of FMD in the country since 1956 and the threat of export restrictions on local agricultural products is likely to lead to severe economic losses in the Province.

Taiwan

FMD has been reported again in Taiwan during the last week of October 2000. In 1997, a major epidemic resulted in the death of over 180,000 pigs and a further 3.85 million pigs (25% of the island's national herd) were slaughtered as part of the eradication campaign. Although a vaccine programme was implemented, the lucrative export market in pig meat was destroyed. This new outbreak is suspected to have arisen from failure to vaccinate on some small swine farms.

Argentina

Despite reports of an exotic strain (Type A) of FMD in August, experts have recently declared that it was an isolated outbreak and that the appropriate control measures had been taken by the Veterinary Administration of Argentina. The country is to remain on the OIE list for FMD free countries where vaccination is not practised. However, recommendations on methods of improving FMD surveillance and border control have been made as the source of infection was discovered to be as a result of illegal importation of cattle from a neighbouring country.

Uganda

In the past six months, almost all regions in Uganda have reported the presence of FMD. Quarantines have been established in affected districts but it is reported that the sale and transport of infected livestock is still taking place. A cattle re-stocking programme, launched by the government over five years ago to restock depleted areas as a result of civil war has also contributed to the spread of the disease as corrupt officials continue to supply animals, which have not been screened and declared free of infection. In addition, immunization of livestock is currently not possible due to the lack of available vaccine. The inability to control the disease has meant that Uganda has not been able to gain access to foreign markets for sale of livestock products.

The complexity of this disease, accompanied by its highly contagious nature, means that control and surveillance procedures have to be rigidly enforced if developed and developing countries are to remain free of the disease or of new, previously undetected strains. Whilst it is important for developing countries to establish export markets for their livestock products, it is equally vital that measures are taken for restricting the further export of this virulent disease.

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