21/07/2022
There has been a lot of talk about FMD and L*D of late (and by that we mean Foot and Mouth Disease and Lumpy Skin Disease â not to be confused with other common Facebook acronyms!). Weâve been receiving a large number of calls, so here are some facts to help clarify.
What are they?
Both FMD and L*D are highly contagious viral diseases that are not present in Australia. FMD (a picornavirus) affects cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, camelids, and pigs. L*D (a poxvirus) only affects bovids such as cattle and buffalo.
What do they look like and how are they spread?
FMD is excreted in all sorts of bodily fluids including breath, saliva, mucus, milk, faeces and semen. Animals can become infected by coming into contact with these excrements. Within a short period of time, sick stock show signs of fever, drooling and lameness caused by fluid filled blisters which develop on their feet, udders and in their mouths. While a high percentage of animals become sick with FMD, only a small percentage die (this is usually young animals). They can, however, continue to shed and spread the virus for several years once they have recovered â which makes the disease difficult to control without culling affected animals.
L*D is spread by annoying biting insects or on blood contaminated equipment. Infected animals may break out in rather ugly looking lumps across their body, which eventually scab over. They may also have weepy eyes, snotty noses and drool. Interestingly though, a large percentage of infected animals donât show any signs but can spread it to others. Again, this makes the disease difficult to control without culling both affected animals, as well as others that have come in close contact.
Whatâs happening in Australia?
There are currently NO known cases of either disease in Australia (despite several misleading news reports as of late). Australia has stringent biosecurity measures and livestock traceability systems which help with the prevention, surveillance and control of diseases. There is a lot going on in the background without the general public being aware. This includes restrictions on the importation of âriskyâ products which may bring diseases into Australia. Travellers are also screened at random, as well as based on individual risk assessments. Remember, we have not had an FMD outbreak since 1872 â a big part of this can be attributed to our biosecurity practices.
What can you do?
Itâs a great time to have a chat with friends and family about the importance of biosecurity and raise awareness of what we can all do to help reduce the risk of bringing exotic diseases into our country. So, grab a beer and an FMD/L*D free snag and get talking. The biggest risk is the importation of unknowingly infected animal products (like our not-so-clever mates in Kojonup that thought it was a good idea to smuggle superior pig semen in via their shampoo bottles). Even if your overseas dwelling rellies makes the best salami in the southern hemisphere, please ask them to leave it behind. As innocent as this sounds, any animal product may accidentally end up in contact with our livestock, or feral animals, and result in a disease outbreak. That leads to our next bit of advice â stop feeding animal products to your backyard pets (such as pigs) or overly confident feral animals that come scabbing your picnic leftovers at the park. Itâs surprising how common this is without any awareness of the risks it brings. Save these tasty morsels for your pooch or ensure they are disposed of in a way they cannot be scavenged. If youâre away travelling, avoid contact with livestock and wildlife where possible. Declare on your Incoming Passenger Card where you have been, so quarantine officials can take appropriate steps (which may include disinfecting shoes). When you get home, wash all clothing and equipment, and avoid contact with livestock for a period of time â this includes zoos, farms (both commercial and hobby) and travelling petting exhibits. It would be wise to add a period of time to the end of your travels where you can get your washing done before returning to the farm (Iâm sure the Perth rellies would love to see you).
Overall, remain calm and spend some time reviewing your biosecurity plan and updating where required â remember they are compulsory for your LPA accreditation. Weâre happy to help with a review of your current plan or developing a new one if required. Donât be afraid to report any symptoms of suspected disease to either your private vet or government biosecurity officer/vet. Alternatively, the Exotic Animal Diseases Hotline is 1800 675 888 â put it in your phone and on your fridge! We cannot emphasise enough how crucial it is to report symptoms, the sooner the disease is recognised and reported, the sooner itâs spread can be controlled. Do the right thing by your neighbours and community, report early and donât sweep suspicion under the carpet.
Who doesnât love a good game of myth busting? Letâs play.
âFMD is contagious to peopleâ â partly myth. Only in rare cases has a person contracted FMD, it is not to be confused with Hand Foot and Mouth disease which is a completely separate disease that does affect humans but not animals.
âWe should be vaccinating now, before FMD gets to Australiaâ â myth. While we have large stores of FMD vaccines at the ready, this is not the silver bullet. There are many different strains of FMD (over 60!), and the vaccine must be specific to the strain which is present. While the vaccines can be effective in certain circumstances, they are short lived and donât offer full protection. Also, Australiaâs FMD free status which allows us to export to a range of overseas countries, would be jeopardized by the use of any vaccines. This is because vaccinated animals can interfere with the interpretation of test results, so if a vaccine is used by a country, then it is presumed FMD is present. Remember, Australia exports over 70% of the red meat we produce and this would be significantly impacted if we introduced a vaccination program ahead of a disease outbreak.
âThe Australian Government is deliberately withholding the L*D vaccineâ - true, but with good reason. Currently available L*D vaccines are manufactured in countries with a lower disease status than Australia. Therefore, our government wonât allow the importation of these vaccines, as they may potentially be contaminated with other exotic diseases (FMD included!)
âAustralia is at greater risk of FMD coming in than L*Dâ â myth. Current modelling poses the risk of FMD coming into Aus in the next 5 years at 9% (recently upgraded to 11% since South Indonesian infections) compared to L*D at 28%. L*D risk is higher as we are less able to control infected biting insects blowing across from Indonesia.
âShutting down tourists from Bali will prevent FMD from entering Australiaâ â partly myth. Our biggest risk for contracting FMD is the consumption of FMD infected meat by animals such as feral or backyard pigs; so, managing illegally imported animal products is far more effective than banning Bintang bogans. Yes, tourists could bring the disease in on shoes and clothing, however the virus is only stable for a short period in this state and the risk can be reduced through foot baths and washing. Donât forget there are a lot of other countries which have exotic diseases, so if we banned them all there wouldnât be many places left to travel.
âThe government is not doing enough to keep FMD outâ â myth. Australia has one of the strongest biosecurity programs in the world. Their measures include risk profiling, mandatory declarations, x-ray, sniffer dogs, inspections, sanitation mats, the list goes on. Watch Border Control sometime, youâll see all the idiots trying to bring back their beef jerky that get slapped with thousands of dollars of fines.
âItâs not a matter of IF we get FMD, but WHENâ â myth. This is being said a lot lately and it suggests that we canât do anything to stop the disease entering our country. This is simply not true, as weâve suggested above there is a lot being done and a lot we can continue to do, to help reduce the risk.
If this ramble hasnât left you cross eyed, there is more reading you can drool over. We strongly urge you not to rely on the general media as an accurate source, as there is a lot of misinformation out there. When in doubt, seek information from government sources, industry bodies and your private livestock vet. We also encourage you to attend or tune into information days and webinars for the latest information. If youâre more of a listener than a reader, the first two are fantastic and were recorded recently.
-MLA Industry Webinar on FMA and L*D (19th July 2022): https://www.mla.com.au/news-and-events/industry-news/industry-webinar-on-fmd-and-lsd/
-AgWatchers The Facts on FMD from the Chief Vet podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/agwatchers/id1519923844?i=1000568967295
-DAFF Australia FMD: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/pests-diseases-weeds/animal/fmd -australia-prepared-to-handle-this-disease
-DAFF Australia L*D: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/pests-diseases-weeds/animal/lumpy-skin-disease
-DPIRD WA FMD prevention and preparedness: https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/livestock-biosecurity/foot-and-mouth-disease-recognise-and-report-signs?nopaging=1
-DPIRD WA L*D prevention and preparedness: https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/livestock-biosecurity/lumpy-skin-disease-prevention-and-preparedness
-Animal Health Australia; Australian Veterinary Emergency Plans for FMD and L*D (AUSVETPLAN): https://animalhealthaustralia.com.au/ausvetplan/
