The foot-and-mouth disease epidemic of 2001 in the UK: implications for the USA and the ""war on terror"

Abstract

While there is no evidence to suggest that the recent epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease (Fmd) in the Uk and its subsequent spread to continental Europe were caused by bioterrorism, the extent of the epidemic shows that Fmd could be a very powerful weapon for a bioterrorist wishing to cause widespread disease in livestock and economic disruption for the targeted country. This paper describes the epidemic. It then examines the contentious issues that arose through the use of extensive slaughter to control the epidemic and explores how, in turn, the concerns of society are being translated into a radical change in policy within the European Union with respect to the control of Fmd and other foreign animal diseases. The crisis generated by the Fmd epidemic in Europe in 2001 provides many lessons to be learned for the US and highlights the need for creative thinking in research and teaching within colleges of veterinary medicine to more effectively address the threat of epidemic diseases under the "new world order." There is general agreement that the veterinary profession in the US plays a unique role in protecting the nation against epidemic livestock diseases, whether caused naturally or through bioterrorism. The profession also has a significant role in protecting the public's health, since several epidemic diseases of animals, such as rift valley fever, are zoonotic. However, improved financial support at the federal and state levels is urgently needed to support epidemic-diseases research and teaching in colleges of veterinary medicine.