Infection in humans is extremely rare and requires direct exposure to massive amounts of the virus. The last report of human infection appears to have been in the 1960s. There are few scientifically authenticated cases of FMD in humans and people are considered to be quite unsusceptible to infection. While FMD occurs at high prevalence in animals in many countries, large numbers of people work on a daily basis with the FMD virus in laboratories without contracting the infection.
Recovery is rapid and uneventful.
There has never been a case where an infected human has transferred FMD to animals. This is in contrast to people passively spreading the disease to animals through the virus being on dirty boots or clothing obtained from contaminated areas.