RE: [Paddlewise] foot and mouth in the UK

Scientific advice in UK is that the disease does not affect humans (unless
they are cloven-hooved!); however, the disease can be spread by humans to
susceptible animals: the virus can survive on human breath for up to 27
hours, or can be carried on boots through the medium of dung, bodily fluids
from animals, etc., where the virus can survive for days or even weeks given
suitable environmental conditions. The virus survives best in the cold; it
is easily killed by moderate heat or by conditions outside a relatively
narrow pH range (about pH 6- 8): so suitable acidic disinfectants are very
effective against it.

Incidentally, as well as sheep, cattle, pigs, goats and deer, the disease
affects such animals as elephants, giraffes etc. and, for some reason,
hedgehogs.

Animals can be vaccinated against a given strain, but then there are food
regulation issues at stake. The virus is rather like influenza in that it
can mutate very quickly, so new vaccines would have to be constantly
developed to keep abreast of it.

End of briefing:  so far as kayakers and canoeists are concerned, the risk
of them spreading the infection once on the water is virtually nil. The
danger is during put-ins and take-outs.

Of course, plenty of kayakers suffer from advanced foot-IN-mouth!!

Nick

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net
[mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net]On Behalf Of JSpinner_at_aol.com
Sent: 27 March 2001 04:08
To: PaddleWise_at_paddlewise.net
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] foot and mouth in the UK


In a message dated 3/26/01 9:35:35 PM, Niilus_at_aol.com writes:

<< it can be transmitted to other domestic animals and man >>

>From what has been on tv this is rarely contagious to humans.
>From Encarta

    "Foot-and-Mouth Disease, contagious febrile disease
    of animals and, rarely, humans. It is also called
    hoof-and-mouth disease. Caused by a virus, it affects
    cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, swine, sheep,
    goats, and deer, often causing epidemics. "

I hope that wasn't too much to grab.
Joan Spinner

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