Foot and Mouth Disease found in Japan

Below is an article I found on the Feedstuffs website this morning.

Japan suspends beef exports after finding FMD*

(4/21/2010)
Ian Elliott

The Japanese government notified the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) Tuesday of suspected cases of foot and mouth disease (FMD) at a farm in Tsuno-cho Koyu-gun in Miyazaki province, prompting the government to suspend beef exports.

"A private veterinarian first found a suspicious case in the affected farm and reported it to the local government’s veterinary service on April 9, 2010. An official veterinarian observed that a cow had fever, anorexia, salivation and erosions in the oral cavity on the same day, but the others had no clinical signs," Japan's Ministry of Agriculture reported to OIE.

"Since two other suspicious cases were found in the same farm on April 16, the veterinary service examined similar diseases such as bluetongue, bovine viral diarrhea-mucosal disease, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and Ibaraki disease, but they showed negative results by PCR (polymer chain reaction) tests on April 19," the ministry added.

The Ministry of Agriculture reported that samples were submitted April 19 to the National Institute for Animal Health, which affirmed last Tuesday that the cattle were infected with FMD virus.

Agriculture Minister Hirotaka Akamatsu told reporters in Tokyo, Japan, "The government will take every measure to prevent the disease from spreading further."

The ministry told OIE it has destroyed all 16 head on the farm, started cleaning and disinfection there and put quarantine zones in place around the affected farm.

"Movement restrictions within 10 km around the affected farm have been implemented. Export international veterinary certificates for ruminants and products derived from them have been suspended since April 20," the ministry said.

This is Japan's first case of FMD since 2000.