The army has also been brought in to co-ordinate logistics of the slaughter programme in the hotspots and the current policy is under constant review. While these animals might look healthy, they are like a timebomb waiting go off. Sheep can harbour the disease for months without displaying any symptoms making detection extremely difficult. Pigs are a hundred times more infectious than sheep which significantly increases the risk of them spreading the disease. The aim is to halt the spread of FMD by pre-empting where the disease is likely to hit next and slaughtering these animals sooner rather than later on when they would have to be slaughtered together with all cattle on the farm.
Cattle display much more obvious clinical signs of the disease making detection easier.
Also at this time of year, most cattle are kept indoors which reduces the risk of them becoming infected. It is very difficult to tell at this stage because new cases are being confirmed all the time. However, it is likely that many hundreds of thousands will be lost. Household pets and horses are not included because they are not susceptible virus hosts. The virus is susceptible to heat with the result that it is killed by very high temperatures in the pyres.