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. 2005 Nov 26;331(7527):1234.
doi: 10.1136/bmj.38603.375856.68. Epub 2005 Oct 7.

Psychosocial effects of the 2001 UK foot and mouth disease epidemic in a rural population: qualitative diary based study

Maggie Mort  1 , Ian Convery, Josephine Baxter, Cathy Bailey
Affiliations

Psychosocial effects of the 2001 UK foot and mouth disease epidemic in a rural population: qualitative diary based study

Maggie Mort et al. BMJ. .

Abstract

Objectives: To understand the health and social consequences of the 2001 foot and mouth disease epidemic for a rural population.

Design: Longitudinal qualitative analysis.

Setting: North Cumbria, the worst affected area in Britain.

Sample: Purposive sample of 54 respondents divided in six demographically balanced rural occupational and population groups.

Main outcome measures: 3071 weekly diaries contributed over 18 months; 72 semistructured interviews (with the 54 diarists and 18 others); 12 group discussions with diarists

Results: The disease epidemic was a human tragedy, not just an animal one. Respondents' reports showed that life after the foot and mouth disease epidemic was accompanied by distress, feelings of bereavement, fear of a new disaster, loss of trust in authority and systems of control, and the undermining of the value of local knowledge. Distress was experienced across diverse groups well beyond the farming community. Many of these effects continued to feature in the diaries throughout the 18 month period.

Conclusions: The use of a rural citizens' panel allowed data capture from a wide spectrum of the rural population and showed that a greater number of workers and residents had traumatic experiences than has previously been reported. Recommendations for future disaster management include joint service reviews of what counts as a disaster, regular NHS and voluntary sector sharing of intelligence, debriefing and peer support for front line workers, increased community involvement in disposal site or disaster management, and wider, more flexible access to regeneration funding and rural health outreach work.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Example of a respondent's (a farm worker) diary data “mapped” from December 2001 to May 2003
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Cumbria Foot & Mouth Disease Inquiry. Inquiry report. Carlisle: Cumbria County Council, 2002.
    1. Anderson I. Foot and mouth disease 2001: lessons to be learned inquiry. London: Stationery Office, 2002.
    1. National Audit Office. The 2001 outbreak of foot and mouth disease. London: Stationery Office, 2002 (www.nao.gov.uk/publications/nao_reports/01-02/0102939.pdf).
    1. European Parliament Temporary Committee on Foot-and-Mouth, PE 322.219. European Parliament resolution on measures to control foot-and-mouth disease in the European Union in 2001 and future measures to prevent and control animal diseases in the European Union. European Parliament, 2002. (Report No 2002/2153(INI), P5_TA-PROV (2002) 0614.)
    1. Campbell D, Lee R. `Carnage by computer': the blackboard economics of the 2001 foot and mouth epidemic. Social Legal Studies 2003;12: 425-59.

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