Foot and Mouth disease

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

How do I protect my farm from foot-and-mouth disease?

Following good biosecurity practices will go a long way toward keeping your farm safe.

Control who visits the farm

The FMD virus can be carried on people’s clothes, shoes and bodies. Visitors to animal areas of the farm should wear plastic, disposable overboots or rubber boots, which can be disinfected.

Visitors, employees and family members who have been in an FMD-affected country in the last five days should not be allowed on the farm. Those returning from overseas should launder or dry-clean all clothes. Shoes, luggage and personal items should be cleaned with a solution of 5 tablespoons of household bleach diluted in 1 gallon of water.

Monitor what is being fed to your livestock

Food waste or garbage, which could contain meat, fish or poultry, should not be fed to FMD-susceptible animals. The practice is illegal under Indiana law. If the food waste contains illegally imported meat or milk products, it could carry the FMD virus.

Check regularly for FMD symptoms

Look for excessive drooling or lameness in your livestock. Check for any blisters or raw wounds that may appear around the feet, mouth and teats of the animal. FMD mimics many domestic diseases, and only laboratory testing can verify the cause. Report FMD symptoms immediately to your local veterinarian or the State Veterinarian. It is critical to report symptoms quickly, since FMD spreads rapidly.

If I suspect symptoms of foot-and-mouth disease in my livestock, what do I do?

-DO report cattle, sheep, swine, goats, llamas or other cloven-hooved animals that show unusual symptoms including lameness, drooling or lip smacking. Blisters or raw wounds may be visible in the mouth and on the tongue and gums. The soft tissue of the feet or the teats may show blisters as well. If you have any doubt, report the symptoms to your veterinarian immediately.

For pictures of symptoms, visit:

www.aphis.usda.gov/oa/pubs/brofmd.pdf

-DON’T move any suspect animals. Movement will spread the disease to other susceptible livestock on your farm or neighboring farms.

-DO call your local veterinarian immediately. If you cannot reach the local veterinarian, call the Office of the State Veterinarian at 877-747-3038. After normal business hours, call 800-255-6508 ext. 303. There are other diseases that could be confused with FMD. Only a veterinarian can make an accurate diagnosis.

-DON”T allow any visitors on the farm and DON’T leave the farm until a veterinarian has examined the animals. The FMD virus can be carried on people’s clothes, shoes and bodies, as well as vehicles.

For more information:

Indiana State Board of Animal Health

Bret Marsh, D.V.M., State Veterinarian

877-747-3038

http://www.state.in.us/boah

Email: animalhealth@boah.state.in.us

U.S. Department of Agriculture

For technical questions call: 800-601-9327

For consumer and travel questions call:

866-SAFGUARD

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/oa/fmd/index.html

Purdue University Cooperative Extension foot-and-mouth disease web site:

http://www.ces.purdue.edu/fmd or call 1-888-EXT-INFO