United and US Airways have taken similar action. And at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, visitors from countries with outbreaks are being asked to stay away from the theme park's petting zoo. The microbe attacks cattle, swine, sheep, goats, deer and other cloven-hoofed animals and can affect elephants, hedgehogs and rats. Infected animals develop painful lesions, followed by erosions on the tongue, lips, hooves and elsewhere. Often, animals go lame, lose weight, stop producing milk and become infertile.
Deaths are uncommon, except among the young.
Although there is a vaccine, many countries also will not accept animals that have been inoculated, making officials reluctant to authorize its use. Humans can carry the microbe in their nasal passages for more than a day and on moist, muddy clothing for weeks. To halt spread of the disease, entire herds are sacrificed. The animals are shot and their carcasses are burned in huge pyres like those that have dotted rural England in recent weeks. Anxious to avoid similar scenes in this country, U.S. officials moved quickly this month to ban commercial imports of most meat and meat products from 15 European countries.