Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1914-11-11

The Fight Against Foot-and-mouth Disease
Statement from the Secretary of Agriculture in
Regard to the Federal Measures.

lauthorities in the same way in which
it would be for a contagious human
disease. This local quarantine pre-
vents the visit of individuals or the
transfer Of any produce or animals
from the farm to other farms. In
some cases, because human beings car
carry the disease to other herds, the
state authorities have prevented the
children on infected farms from at
tending school. In other cases, as
critics have closed the stockyards un'
til they can be cleaned and disin-
fected. ~ s. ~
The first effort OF the Department
is to discover and segregate all an
imals sick with the disease or that
) nave been exposed. To this end, the
federal and state inspectors are now
tracing up, through bills Of fading
and railroad records, all shipments
of live cattle which have been made
during the last sixty days out OF any
of the infected or suspected districts.
The herds. of animals so shipped are
located and Immediately examined by
veterinarians. In this way the pres
ence of foot-and-mouth disease has
been discovered in various places in
the present wide area nov under
federal quarantine, which includes Mas
%sachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsyl-
vania, Indiana, Illinois. Maryland,
Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa. Similar
ly, numbers of all cars in which. ami
mails have been transported from
these districts have been obtained,
and these are being located and
thoroughly cleaned and Gisinfected.
Following the imposition of a gen.
eral federal quarantine and the kill
ing Of actually infected herds, m
a farm-to-farm inspection of the en-
tire qu%arantined area. Later, when it
becomes clear that the disease has
been localized, it will be possible for
the federal and state authorities to
free from quarantine all but the act
ually infected counties Or districts,
and allow the uninfected territories
to resume interstate shipments of
stock. NH 15...
History of Present Outbreak.
The present outbreak first appear
ed in southern Michigan. How it was
introduced there is not known. Ship
ments Of diseased hogs from this
place which passed to Chicago are be-
to be responsible for the infec-
ton Of the pens in the Union Stock
Once the yards became infect /
ed there was danger that every ship |
Of live stock through Chicago
to other parts of the country might
pick up the germs OF the disease and
the contagion. These ship
composed largely Of feeders
and stockers, were sent to farms
fattening and did not remain in
Chicago long enough for the disease
o show itself in external symptoms.
Some Of the cattle, carrying the con-
agion, after shipment develop exter-
laI LESSONS and this accounts for
he outbreak of the disease in States
y far apart as Iowa and Massachus-
tits. For this reason a large force Of
ederal inspectors is now running
own every shipment and examining
he animals or herds at their place of
.eliyery. H.
At present the chief danger lies in
he possibility Of there being con-
called sources Of infection. Every ]
fort is being made by state and fed.
raj authorities, not only to trace sus. (
icious shipments, but to convince ]