If a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak is confirmed, the government would implement response strategies that may include:
- Establish Quarantine Areas: Quarantine areas may be established around known or suspected FMD infected herds. Within these areas, livestock will be examined and tested for the presence of FMD. Animal movement between quarantine and non-quarantine areas will be restricted or stopped. The quarantine area will be expanded if neighboring farms are found to have suspected or confirmed cases.
- Create Surveillance Areas: Surveillance areas surrounding the quarantine area may be established to monitor for signs of FMD. Officials may evaluate the surveillance area for the use of an FMD vaccine that could slow or stop the spread of the outbreak. This practice is called “ring vaccination”.
- Test and Examine: Livestock on many farms may be examined and tested for the presence of FMD. Infected farms will be humanely euthanized and neighboring farms will be evaluated for infection and possible depopulation.
- Issue Indemnity Payments: In accordance with state and federal laws, indemnity payments will be issued for depopulated animals. However, there is not a guaranteed timeline for payments to be distributed.
- Stop Animal Movement and Traffic: Depending on the situation, the government will decide at what degree animal movement must be stopped. Movement may be stopped within a specific region or across a wide area of the United States, depending on the severity of the outbreak. Restricting vehicular movement on and off farms also may occur to limit disease spread as much as possible..Animal movement and traffic restrictions could last only a few days to several weeks.
- Establish a Unified Incident Command Structure: In some states, a unified incident command structure will be established with the USDA, State Department of Agriculture and state police.
For more information about government response strategies, go here.
