We can put controls on the Channel tunnel, but we can't control the winds. As the impact of the disease spread, there even were calls from politicians to postpone a British national election, which many had expected to be called in May or earlier. Two British broadsheet newspapers published maps Tuesday showing the spiderweb-like spread of the disease through England. Bonfires cast eerie glows in affected areas overnight as agriculture officials continued to oversee the burning of about 7,000 slaughtered animals. Another 3,500 livestock have been killed in continental Europe, where no cases have been found but authorities fear the disease could spread.
Humans can carry the virus on their boots and clothing.
The virus can also be airborne, transmitted from one animal to another, or contracted through contaminated feed. Schools and a military training exercise have been disrupted in northern England because of fears of infection. Hiking groups have scrapped country walks and fishing streams have been closed to anglers. Safari parks, zoos and nature reserves have closed or isolated animals susceptible to the disease. Germany killed 350 imported sheep as a precaution, and the Netherlands slaughtered more than 3,200 animals brought from Britain before the outbreak was discovered.