http://www.boston.com/dailynews/122/nation/Agriculture_officials_fear_Oly:.shtml

Agriculture officials fear Olympic visitors could bring foot-and-mouth

By Associated Press, 5/2/2001 03:24

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Foreign visitors to the 2002 Winter Olympics will be screened by food-sniffing dogs out of fear that people might bring foot-and-mouth disease with them, officials say.

The dogs will be used to detect any undeclared, illegal food imports.

Though most athletes and visitors to Salt Lake City in February won't be coming straight from a farm, some might want to bring favorite foods with them, state Olympic officer Lane Beattie said Tuesday.

A half-eaten salami sandwich could make its way into swill for a family pig. If the meat were infected with foot-and-mouth, Utah's livestock could be imperiled.

The disease is harmless to humans, but it could cause billions of dollars in damage to the nation's livestock industry, officials say.

Foot-and-mouth has been eradicated from the United States since 1929.

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2001