Thursday, March 22, 2001

By Lisa Burgess
Washington bureau

WASHINGTON — Travelers into the United States from Europe may experience some delays as U.S. officials battle to prevent foot and mouth disease from entering here, but the inconveniences should be minimal, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials said.

Recent outbreaks of the disease — which affects animals with cloven hoofs — in the United Kingdom have forced farmers to destroy nearly 50,000 animals in an attempt to stop its spread.

And although it hasn’t shown up in the United States, officials, who have had rules in place for years to safeguard against the disease, are on alert.

"The program we have in place has kept foot-and-mouth disease out for over 70 years," said Kevin Herglotz, a USDA spokesman. "We have a system of inspectors at ports, airports and borders working 365 days a year to keep [foot-and-mouth disease and other agricultural pests] out."

The agency has ordered U.S. ports of entry to pay attention to travelers coming from Europe, particularly from the United Kingdom because that area is now considered to be at high risk for the virus, Herglotz said.

"We are stepping up our efforts at our borders, looking for raw products, such as pork products, that have a potential risk" for spreading the highly contagious virus, Herglotz said. The extra vigilance will last "until we feel there is no risk of the disease entering the United States."

Most of the steps the agency is taking to prevent the disease will be familiar to experienced international travelers.

The big difference is in the level of scrutiny passengers will undergo if USDA and Customs agents believe they may be harboring the virus on their clothing or in banned foods.

On March 13, the USDA announced a temporary ban on imports of cloven-hoofed animals from the European Union, as well as fresh, chilled or frozen meat from those animals. Heat from cooking kills the virus, "so it is not a food safety issue," Herglotz said, but infected meat can transmit foot-and-mouth disease to other animals.

The ban does not include cooked pork products, hard cheeses and canned products with a shelf life. Violations of the ban could result in penalties of up to $1,000.

While passengers are still in the air, they will be asked to state on their Customs declaration form whether or not they have been on a farm or in contact with livestock and if they are bringing any meat or dairy products from their travels back with them.

Passengers deplaning from flights into U.S. international airports will be greeted by additional inspectors and dog teams looking for banned foodstuffs. Passengers may also be asked to step over special mats to disinfect their footwear. USDA officials will inspect the baggage of all travelers who indicate they have been on a farm or in contact with livestock.

The Pentagon is also cooperating with requests from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Customs Service to spread the word among military families that travelers coming back to the United States must follow precautions to keep out foot-and-mouth virus.

"We are following their lead as to what’s required and then working with them to make sure that those sorts of preventive steps are carried out for military members when they return to the United States also," said Rear Adm. Craig Quigley, a Pentagon spokesman, during a press briefing.

Although the United States hasn’t had an outbreak since 1929, there have been epidemics on other continents recently.

In 1999, a version of the disease spread to 60 countries. The immense increase in free trade, which makes import restrictions more difficult, means infected meat is traded round the world. That makes more countries vulnerable to outbreaks.

Foot-and-mouth disease can be carried by the wind, traveling more than 100 miles as an airborne infection. Humans can transport the virus on their shoes and clothing, even in their nostrils, where the bug can live for up to 28 hours, harmless to the person, but devastating to animals.

Moreover, the virus is so contagious that nearly 100 percent of exposed animals become infected. Infected dairy cows can’t produce as much milk. Animals raised for meat lose weight because the sores in their mouths make eating painful. Some animals go so lame that they have to be killed to prevent undue suffering.

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