Re: Question for Today

["David T. Marx" <dtmarx@SIU.EDU>]

from CNN's website:

What is foot and mouth disease?

An acute infectious viral disease causing blisters, fever and
lameness in animals with hooves. Pregnant animals often abort
and dairy cattle may dry up. It is rarely fatal, except in very young
animals.

How does it spread?

Foot-and-mouth is a highly contagious virus spread by direct or
indirect contact. It can travel many miles by air, in contaminated
animal by-products and equipment, or through third-party contact.
It takes between 24 hours and 10 days for symptoms to show.

Can humans get it?

The Food Standards Agency says there are no implications for the
human food chain with only one recorded case of a human
developing foot-and-mouth disease in Britain -- this was in 1966
with very mild symptoms. It mainly affects cattle, sheep, pigs and
goats with elephants, rats and hedgehogs also susceptible.


On 14 Mar 2001, at 11:01, Mariam Dittman wrote:
> I believe that 'hoof and mouth' disease, when manifested in humans is 'foot
> and mouth' disease.  I seem to recall from my husband who teaches preschool
> that these are the same virus.  I also know that it is highly contagious
> among young humans.  Periodically they have outbreaks of this which causes a
> lot of absences among the students.
>
> (I reserve the right to be completely wrong here!)
>
> Mariam Dittmann