ad info

 
CNN.comTranscripts
 
Editions | myCNN | Video | Audio | Headline News Brief | Feedback  

 

  Search
 
 

 

TOP STORIES

Bush signs order opening 'faith-based' charity office for business

Rescues continue 4 days after devastating India earthquake

DaimlerChrysler employees join rapidly swelling ranks of laid-off U.S. workers

Disney's GO.com is a goner

(MORE)

MARKETS
4:30pm ET, 4/16
144.70
8257.60
3.71
1394.72
10.90
879.91
 


WORLD

U.S.

POLITICS

LAW

TECHNOLOGY

ENTERTAINMENT

 
TRAVEL

ARTS & STYLE



(MORE HEADLINES)
 
CNN Websites
Networks image


Saturday Morning News

Could Animal Disease in England Spread to U.S.?

Aired March 3, 2001 - 8:06 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Farmers, veterinarians and government agriculture officials across the U.S. are on high alert because of the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Great Britain. Although not dangerous to humans, the virus is highly contagious and could wipe out entire livestock herds if it gets a toehold in the U.S.

The last known outbreak of the disease in the U.S. was 1929. British officials suspect more outbreaks are likely.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK BROWN, BRITISH AGRICULTURE MINISTER: What seems to have happened is that the disease has been incubating, spread rather following the movements of trade. Although complete movement restrictions have brought this to a halt, there's quite a lot of it incubating in the national herd and national flock, and of course we're unable to tell where it will emerge until it does.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Fear of the disease spreading through the United Kingdom has forced the cancellation of this year's St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin, Ireland.

The phrase foot and mouth disease strikes mortal terror in the hearts of livestock farmers everywhere and for many decades the U.S. has had a zero tolerance policy toward the virus.

Simono Kenyon is an associate professor at Purdue University's School of Veterinarian Medicine. He joins us this morning from Indianapolis. We welcome you to the program, Dr. Kenyon.

SIMON KENYON, PURDUE UNIVERSITY: Good morning.

O'BRIEN: Just, if you could give us a quake primer for those of us who are not completely familiar with what this is all about, what the disease is all about, tell us what it is and what risks there are to human beings, if at all.

KENYON: The disease is caused by a very, very infectious virus and so it is one of the most infectious diseases that we know of. It causes in the affected animals, which are cattle, sheep, goats and hogs, it causes blisters around the top of the hoof and large blisters often in the mouth or on the snout. O'BRIEN: And it is extremely contagious within the animal community, correct?

KENYON: It's very, very contagious. It will move from -- by airborne spread, outbreaks in Britain, the 1967 outbreak, that was a major part of that outbreak, but it is also very, very easy to carry from one farm to another on vehicles or on clothing. It's just very, very infectious.

O'BRIEN: All right, I suppose one could infer that it would be very easy for it to spread out of Great Britain and perhaps to America with the age of jet travel that we live in. How much of a concern is that? What safeguards are in place?

KENYON: I think it's always a concern. The major transmission between countries these days is mostly through meat products, you know, the half eaten ham sandwich, the unidentifiable meat pie. I know if you go to Britain, you know, it would be nice to bring back a Melt & Moberry (ph) pork pie for your family over here to let them share the experience.

But at our international airports, you sign a declaration saying that you're not carrying livestock products back into the country. And that's why there's that beagle there sniffing your luggage. And so it's very important that people don't bring back into the country meat and milk products that haven't been through proper USDA inspection.

O'BRIEN: Dr. Kenyon, how much concern do you have that it could spread to the U.S. on this particular outbreak?

KENYON: I think that the likelihood is rather slim, but I think the people that have, that travel between the United States and Great Britain, you know, if you go to Great Britain, stay away from the countryside. That's what the British government has asked people to do. And don't make it worse for the British and don't bring anything back here.

And when you get back, I think the sensible precaution to take is to take all your clothes that you were wearing, throw them in the washer, disinfect your shoes with any, whatever disinfectant you have on hand and don't visit farm premises for a week, and that means, you know, that's -- for those purposes it includes your neighbor's pot bellied pig that they keep as a pet, which is susceptible, or somebody's pygmy goats or go to the zoo. I would just be very careful about staying out of the countryside in Britain or in any other country that's affected by foot and mouth disease.

O'BRIEN: All right, some very good advice there. Dr. Simon Kenyon with Purdue University, thank you very much for being with us on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

KENYON: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com

 Search   


Back to the top