The Department of Health will need up to 48 hours for confirmation, authorities said. We have been notified of a suspected case of foot and mouth. The disease is not fatal in humans or animals. Health officials said there had been one case of the human form of the disease in 1967, the last time the virus swept Britain. The 1967 victim recovered from the mild flu-like illness caused by the virus.
Authorities say there is no evidence it can be passed from person to person.
There have been 1,444 confirmed infected farm sites with the disease since mid-February, but new outbreaks have slowed dramatically in recent days. Prime Minister Tony Blair's office said tourists should not be scared away. The position of a slaughterman is different from a tourist. They are handling animals which are infected. None had become public knowledge until now.