Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-11-13

TTlHE alarm and anxiety created among vet
i erinary santarians by the appearance OF
aphtnous fever or, as 1t Is more commonly
called, foot and mouth disease, Is due to the
highly contagious character Of the malady
and to the fear that It may escape from
control and become permanently estabhshed
in this country Usually, It Is not a very
fatal disease except among young animals
but Il renders dairy COWS useless for con
siderable time and causes a loss of flesh In
meat-produclng animals, while the necessary
quarantine restrictions seriously Interfere
with the traffic in live stock and in certain
farm products like hay and straw. The loss
is often greater than IL death occurred at
once. In the countries of Continental Europe
where the disease has gained a foothold, 1t
has been the cause OF enormous losses and
great Inconvenience
UIHE virus which causes the disease Is
lthrown off by the infected animal in the
saliva which dribbles from the mouth IN
large quantity; in the discharges from the
sores on the feet, in the milk and in the ex-
crement discharged from the body. Stables
stock yards and railroad cars occupied by
diseased animals are contaminated with the
virus and healthy animals subsequently
placed in such places are likely to become
infected and may carry the infection great
distances on their hair and feet. For IN
stance in 1908 21 cattle which were subse-
duentIy found to be infected with foot and
mouth disease, occupied pen in the stock
yards at Detroit for two hours during when
time they were fed and watered A lot OF
bulls which were placed in this pen four days
later carried the infection TO the Bufalo
stock yards, and cattle shipped from the pens
occupied by the bulls in the Buffalo yards
carried the disease to various points In New
York, Pennsylvania and Maryland
Hey and straw stored in infected premises
litter and manure from places occupied by
diseased animals and hides from infected
animals may also carry the infection. Horses,
although practically immune to the disease
may carry the virus on their hair and feet.
Persons attending to diseased animals may
carry the virus on their clothing and hands
and subsequently. infect other animals with
which they come in contact In the 1908 out
break of the disease a man, hearing that his
sons cattle had the disease, visited the place
and then returned home distance of three
miles. and cared for his own COW. In rev
days this COW developed the disease.
The disease is readily transmitted from one
animal to another. II an animal affected
with the disease is placed among lot OF
healthy ones, one after another OF the latter
Will become infected until all are diseased
In 1908 a farmer had COW in a pasture In
which several cattle from Buffalo had been
placed six days after the arrival of the
cattle from Buffalo he removed the cow to
his own barn. Seven days later all Of the
cattle on the place. 16 in number showed
symptoms Of foot and mouth disease.
NN ACCOUNT of the highly contagious
! " character of the disease vigorous meas
ures are necessary to prevent the spread OF
the infection. Communication with infected
premises must be prohibited as far as possi-
BILE and nothing which may carry the infec-
ton can be permitted to be removed from the
place until after 1t has been properly disin-
| fected Those caring for diseased and eX-
posed animals must be required to wear spe-
cial clothing and footgear for this purpose
and to dislnfect the hands carefully on leav-
ing the stable. Inspectors olothe themselves
! entirely in rubber including rubber boots
gloves and hat, and this clothing is disin.
fected and fumlgated after each inspection