The hooves of infected pigs may drop off, and young piglets often die. FMD broke out in England in February 2001, spread rapidly in that country, and then moved to Ireland, France, and the Netherlands. The virus is extremely contagious and spreads rapidly unless it is contained. This usually requires quarantining infected farms, followed by slaughtering and burning all susceptible animals. Anyone having contact with animals in infected countries should not go near susceptible animals for at least five days.
Vaccination is possible but is much less effective in controlling an epidemic.
Vaccines do not protect against all FMD virus types and do not create a strong, long lasting immunity. In addition, vaccinated animals will blood-test positive for the disease, complicating diagnosis and control efforts. Because the FMD virus is spread so easily, countries with the disease are banned from exporting animals and their products, creating further economic hardship. Confusion between these two diseases recently occurred because both now exist in Europe. Mad cow disease has never been diagnosed in the United States, and FMD was last seen in 1929.