Released: June 22, 2001

Traveling Abroad? K-State Officials Urge Caution Against FMD

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- While the United Kingdom and other European countries continue their battle with foot-and-mouth disease, international travelers must realize they play an important role in preventing the disease from spreading to the United States.

People can unknowingly carry the virus, and common misperceptions often add to confusion, said officials in Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and College of Agriculture.

Their efforts include asking travel agents to properly educate international travelers about the disease.

"The travel agents represent a group that could be instrumental in getting this message out to the traveling public before they leave on vacation," said Dr. Kevin Varner, Area Veterinarian-in-Charge for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Foot-and-mouth, or FMD, is a highly communicable disease that can remain viable for several days. Travelers can unknowingly carry the disease from one country to another on their clothes, shoes and personal items. The virus can live in a person’s nasal cavity for up to two days.

The USDA is urging international travelers to take certain precautionary measures before and after returning to the U.S., including:

* Avoid farms, stockyards and other animal housing facilities for five days prior to returning home;

* Launder and dry clean all clothing and outerwear before returning to the U.S.;

* Avoid contact with livestock and wildlife for five days after returning;

Additional precautionary measures should be taken if travelers are coming from farms in affected countries to visit or work on U.S. farms.

The USDA has implemented restrictions on the types of items travelers can bring back to the United States. Additional inspectors and dog teams have been placed at airports to check international incoming flights and passengers.

"There are a number of items that can’t legally be brought back to the United States due to the risk of importing a foreign plant or animal disease," Varner said. "Fresh fruits and vegetables and most meat products can serve as a vehicle for the foreign disease."

It is important for travelers to realize that FMD is not considered a human health threat, he added. The disease affects a range of cloven-hoofed animals, such as cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and deer.

For more information, interested persons can visit the K-State Research and Extension website at http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/fmd/, or the USDA website at http://www.usda.gov. For traveler and consumer information, call 1-866-SAFGUARD.

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Jennifer Lange, Communications Assistant
jlange@vet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News