Foot-and-mouth disease found in Central Asia

By MARINA KOZLOVA

http://kevxml.infospace.com/_1_4O87TUU03T4PJ9N__info/kevxml?kcfg=upi-article&sin=200103191749250005720&otmpl=/upi/story.htm&qcat=news&rn=23088&qk=10&passdate=03/19/2001

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, March 19 (UPI) -- Cases of foot-and-mouth disease have been found in Kyrgyzstani cattle, a senior official of the Uzbek Ministry of Health told United Press International on Monday.

Kyrgyzstan, which shares a border with Uzbekistan, has registered more than 100 cases of foot-and-mouth disease among cattle during this year alone. Nurmat Atabekov said he had been informed of cases of foot-and-mouth disease in Tajikistan, another neighboring state.

According to Atabekov, Uzbekistan has been strictly controlling the import of meat and milk products from neighboring states. At the present time there are 66 sanitary and quarantine stations in the country. Workers inspect arriving people and carefully check imported meat and milk products. The supervision of markets, slaughterhouses and shops has also been tightened.

In December, Uzbekistan imposed a ban on imports of meat and milk products from Great Britain. The ban also applies to Kyrgyzstan and states where there is a dangerous epidemiological or epizootic situation, or where there is a possibility of the spread of such diseases.

At Uzbek airports extensive inspections are conducted of people arriving in the country from abroad. For instance, every passenger from Great Britain, France and Germany must go through disinfecting barriers.

The Uzbek Health Ministry said cases of foot-and-mouth disease have not been found in Uzbekistan. The last outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease was registered in the Tashkent region of Uzbekistan in 1989. Cases of foot-and-mouth disease among people were registered in Uzbekistan forty years ago.

Copyright 2001 by United Press International

-- Swissrose (cellier3@mindspring.com), March 20, 2001

Answers

Literally the whole world has it, from Brazil to Kyrgyzstan, from Saudi to Ireland. What does this say about the outlook for the US?

-- Swissrose (cellier3@mindspring.com), March 20, 2001.