Stepped-up efforts to keep a dreaded animal disease that is spreading in Europe out of the United States have landed at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. It can live up to 28 hours in human nasal passages and then be transmitted to animals. The highly contagious disease can infect cattle, swine, sheep and deer. It is marked by fever and blisterlike lesions, followed by erosions on the tongue and lips, in the mouth, on the teats and between hooves. There is no cure.
Many animals recover, but are left debilitated.
An outbreak can cause major economic problems for farmers. To date, more than 250 cases of the disease have been reported in Britain. Infected animals are being killed and burned to keep the disease from spreading. Other cases have been found in Argentina, France and Italy. The United States has imposed a ban on food products from countries where the disease may be present.