The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1914-11-19
FIGHT DISEASE OF
FO0T.AND-MOUTH
STATEMENTS FROM THE SECRE-
TARY OF AGRICULTURE ON
FEDERAL MEASURES.
HISTORY OF THE OUTBREAK
General Outline of Methods Used to
Locate Herds Which Have Possibly
Been Exposed and of Course Pur-
sued Where Infection Is Discovered.
Western Newspaper Union News Service,

Washington, d. C.-The Secretary
of Agriculture has issued the follow
ing statements regarding the quaran-
tine for foot-and-mouth disease:
The present outbreak of the foot
and-mouth disease, which is n OF
the most contagious and destructive
diseases of cattle, swine and sheep,
exceeds in area affected any of the
FIVE previous outbreaks in this coun-
try. Unless the infection a be inn
mediately localized and quickly eradi-
Gated, it threatens untold losses
among live stock.
So contagious is the disease that In
past outbreaks where but n animal
In a herd was infected, the entire herd
in almost all cases later contracted
the signess. While the mortality is
not high the effects Of the disease
even on animals that ecove are
such as to make them practically use
less. They lose flesh rapidly in the
case of cows, the milk dries up or
Is made dangerous for human con-
sumption; in the cas- of breeding
animals, the animal once infected be-
comes ~valueless for breeding, as it
may continue to be a constant carrier
of contagion.
It is possible to cure the external
symptoms, but during the process OF
attempting to cure n sick animal
the chances are that hundreds of 9TH
ers may be infected. The treatment
or killing of a single animal in a herd
was tried in an outbreak and did not
,rove effective, for the reason that
the remainder of the herd o be-
came affected and had to be killed.
AS a result of the five outbreaks in
this country, and other disastrous cpl
denies of the disease in Europe n
Great Britain, veterinary authorities
of the United States are agreed that
the only method of combating the dis
ease is to stop all movement Of stock
and material which have been sub
iected to any danger of infection. and
to kill off without delay all herds in
which the disease has gained any
foothold. This enables the autnori-
ties to eradicate affected herds and
to isolate and hold under observation
all suspected herds.
For these reasons, the Department
of Agriculture has already quaran-
tined ten states for the foot-and-
mouth disease. The federal quaran-
inc prevents all interstate move
nent Of stock and materials likely to
.o.n, +Lo soFnzY,an Al tho ca.pna
ime. the state authorities are impos-
ing local u%uarantines which prevent
the passage of animals from farms or
localities IN the same state in which
the disease has not appeared. Each
infected herd, as rapfdlv as the dis
ease is discovered, is killed and the
dead animals buried I'm a covering of
lime. The skins of the animals are
sIashed 50 as to permit the rapid &C.
ton of the lime.
The owner OF the slaughtered ami
mails is reimbursed on basis of the ap-
praised value Of the herd, the apprais-
er being appointed by the state. The
expense of the whole process of con-
demnation and disinfection is divid-
ed equally between the federal and
state governments.
Until the entire premises have been
thoroughly disfnfected and all danger
of spreading the disease removed, the
farm is guaranteed by the local auth
critics in the same way in which II
would be for a contagious human dis
ease. This local quarantine prevents
the visit of individuals or the transfer
Of any produce or animals from the
farm to other farms. In some cases.
because human beings can carry the
disease to other herds, the state
nthorities have prevented children
n infected farm from attending
ehool. In other cases, as in Illinois
nd Ohio, the state authorities have
closed the stock yards until they can
be cleaned and disinfected.
The first effort of the department is
to discover and segregate all animals
sick with the disease or that have
been exposed. To this end, the fed
eral and state inspectors are now
tracing up, through bills of lading and
railroad records, all shipments of live
cattle which have been made during
the last 60 days out of any of the in.
fected or suspected districts. The
herds of animals so shipped are To-
Gated and Immediately examined by
veterinarians. In this way the pres
ence Of foot-and-mouth disease has