March 22, 2001

Horses Not Susceptible to Foot-and-Mouth Disease

BLACKSBURG -- Many horse owners have seen reports on the current outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) in Europe and wondered about its impact on horses and the equine industry. To date, the disease is not in the United States, and has not been present here since the 1929.

FMD affects cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, llamas and deer. Wild and domestic cloven-hooved animals as well as elephants, hedgehogs and rats are also susceptible. It is probably more infectious than any other disease affecting animals and spreads rapidly if uncontrolled.

Horse owners need to be aware that neither they nor their horse are susceptible to the disease, but there is the danger that this highly infectious virus will be carried from place to place, either on clothing and tack or by the mud and manure which may be in their horses hooves. Horses may also spread infection by acting as mechanical carriers, as can the trucks and trailers used to carry the horses.

The disease can be debilitating to adult cattle, swine and wild deer populations, but fatal to young and newborn animals. The economic damage this disease could cause, were it to enter the United States, would be devastating not only in loss of animals but in loss of export income.

This disease is present not only in Europe, but is active in South America, Asia and Southern Africa.

The greatest danger of this disease entering the United States is from people who have been in areas where the disease is currently present. Travelers returning from abroad, who have been in the countryside, should report this fact to the U.S. Customs official on their return. They should not bring any food, especially meat products or plant material, into the country.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued the following preventative measures which should be taken by travelers to the United States from FMD-infected countries:

1. Avoid farms, sale barns, stockyards, animal laboratories, packing houses, zoos, fairs or other animal facilities for five days prior to travel.
2. Before travel to the United States, launder or dry-clean all clothing and outerwear. All dirt and soil should be removed from shoes by thorough cleaning prior to wiping with cloth dampened with a bleach solution. (5 teaspoons of household bleach in 1 gallon of water). Luggage and personal items (including watches, cameras, laptops, CD players and cell phones), if soiled, should be wiped with a cloth dampened with a bleach solution.
3. Avoid contact with livestock or wildlife for five days after arrival in the United States. Extra precautionary measures should be taken by people traveling from farms in infected locales to visit or work on farms in the United States. It is advisable that employers or sponsors provide arriving travelers with a clean set of clothing that can be worn after the visitor showers and shampoos thoroughly. Visitor's traveling clothes should be laundered or dry cleaned immediately. Off-farm activities should be scheduled for the visitor's first five days in-country and contact with livestock or wildlife should be strictly avoided.

If you have any questions regarding Foot-and-Mouth Disease and its implications for horse owners, contact Dr. Jim Bowen at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, (540) 231-4668

Contact: Jim Bowen, professor
Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences
Virginia Tech
(540) 231-4668
jmbowen @vt.edu

Writer: Mary Ann H. Johnson
Agriculture and Extension Communications
Virginia Tech
(540) 231-6975
jnayram@vt.edu

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