Launder or dry clean all clothing and outerwear, remove dirt and soil from shoes by wiping with a dilute bleach solution. Clean any soiled luggage items with a diluted bleach solution. Take extra precautions if traveling from farms to the US for the purpose of visiting or working on a US farm. Carnivores and horses are resistant to the disease but can be carriers of the virus. FMD is characterized by blistering lesions, mostly on the feet, tongue, mouth and teats of infected animals.
Most animals recover, but they remain debilitated.
The hedgehog may serve as a reservoir of the disease in nature. Foot and mouth disease is the most feared disease of livestock in the world. It is feared not because of any threat to human health, but because of its effect on a country 's agricultural industry and world trade. Countries that report the disease are severely restricted in their ability to export livestock products. FMD is devastating to the agricultural industry due to its effect on the production of milk and meat.