There is no cure. It usually runs its course in 2 or 3 weeks after which the great majority of animals recover naturally. The justification of the slaughter policy is that widespread disease throughout the country would be economically disastrous. These will be mainly young and infirm animals. Symptoms are milder in sheep with lameness for a few weeks and a loss of production.
Young lambs are particularly susceptible and are likely to die.
The public may not be being directly misled but there is a lot of confusion on this point. FMD is not a killer disease it is an economic one with the effects being felt through the loss of international trade. Pigs and cattle amplify and shed more virus than sheep but the latter can be infecting without showing the disease. The impact of infection varies according to circumstances. Sheep and pigs can be infectious less than 4 days after infection.