Dateline: 05/23/01
With the outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in the United Kingdom and other European countries, the Canadian government moved quickly to ban imports of susceptible animals and animal products, increased the surveillance on travelers coming into the country and tightened up control on international garbage disposal at airports and seaports. In addition, farm vehicles and equipment from affected countries are not allowed into Canada and strict measures are being taken to disinfect other vehicles from countries affected by FMD.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says an outbreak of FMD in Canada could spread quickly to all parts of the country and cause losses of billions of dollars in just one year.
Foot and mouth disease causes blisters, fever and weight loss in cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. Secondary infections often occur. It is extremely contagious, and can be spread by humans, animals, vehicles, even the air. The disease is extremely rare in humans.
Over 1500 cases of foot and mouth disease were confirmed in the United Kingdom, where hundreds of thousands of animals have been destroyed in an effort to stop the epidemic. The disease also spread to France, Ireland, the Netherlands and Greece. Cases have been reported in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.
Initial import controls on animals and animal products have now been lifted for European countries not affected by the disease: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Finland, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Portugal and Luxembourg.
Foot and mouth disease is not a public health risk, however measures being taken to prevent the spread of the disease in affected countries could affect travelling Canadians. In the United Kingdom, parks, zoos, nature preserves and country trails were closed, travelers have been restricted from visiting certain areas, especially farms, and many large sporting and recreational events have been cancelled.
The Canada Customs and Revenue Agency continues its program of increased inspections of visitors arriving in Canada on international flights. International travelers are being asked to step on a disinfectant mat, and may be referred to CFIA inspectors as well. The use of detector dogs, beagles especially trained to locate food and plants in luggage, has also been increased.
The CFIA is asking international travelers to
- declare all meat, dairy and animal products being brought into Canada
- if they have been on a farm while abroad, have their clothes dry-cleaned and clean and disinfect all footwear before coming into Canada
- stay away from Canadian farms for at least 14 days after entering the country
The Canadian government has asked farm and ranch owners not to have visitors who have been in an affected country in the previous two weeks.
