Foot and Mouth Disease: A Threat to U.S. Agriculture

Segarra, Alejandro E. ; Rawson, Jean M.

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.

关键词: Agriculture;    Animal diseases;    Foot and mouth disease;    Animals;   

RP-ID  :  RS20890
RP-ID  :  RS20890_2001Apr16

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) among livestock in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe that began in February 2001 has raised concerns about the United States’ ability to prevent the disease from spreading to this country and readiness to eradicate it should an outbreak occur. This report describes the characteristics of the FMD virus and disease, the current measures the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is taking to prevent its importation, and the authorities USDA has to act to eradicate an outbreak. The FMD threat also raises issues concerning the adequacy of funding for disease exclusion and research, the availability of vaccines, and USDA’s authority to move preemptively against a potential outbreak, among other things.