The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-11-11
SECRETARY REVIEWS
EFFORTS TO CHECK
SPREAD OF DISEASE
Department of Agriculture
Issues Statement Discuss
ing Cause of Outbreak and
Preventative Means Used.


WASHINGTON, Nov. 1.-THE sec
etary Of agriculture has issued the
ollowing statement regarding the
.oot-and-mouth disease:
The present outbreak of the foot
lnd-mouth disease, which Is one of
he most contagious and destructive
diseases Of cattle, swim and sheep,
exceeds in the area affected and of
he five previous outbreaks in this
country. Unless the infection can be
Immediately localized and quickly
sradicated, it threatens untold losses
,mong live stock.
SO contagious is the disease that in
sast outbreaks where but one animal
n a herd was affected, the entire
herd in almost all cases later con-
.racted the sickness. While the NOR
:ality is not high the effects of the
disease even on animals that recover
ire such as to make them practically
Useless. They lose flesh rapidly; in
he case of cows, the milk dries up
Or is made dangerous for human con-
sumption; in the case of breeding an
mails, the animal once infected be-
comes valueless for breeding, as it
nay continue to be a constant carrier
If contagion.
Stop All Movements.
AS result of the give outbreaks in
his country, and other disastrous cpl
denies of the disease in Europe and
Great Britain, veterinary authorities
If the United States are agreed that
he 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
'oothold. This enables the authori
les to eradicate affected herds and
70 isolate and hold under observation
all suspected herds.
For these reasons, the department
Of agriculture has already quarantined
twelve states for the foot-and-mouth
disease. The federal quarantine pre-
vents all interstate movement of stock
and materials likely to carry the in
lection. At the same time the state
authorities are imposing local quaran-
tines which prevent the passage of
animals from farms or localities known
to be infected to other localities in the
same state in which the disease has
not appeared Each infected herd, as
rapidly as the disease is discovered,
is killed and the dead animals buried
in a covering of lime. The skins of
the animals are slashed so as to per-
nit the rapid action of the lime.
Reimburse Owners.
The owners of the slaughtered ami
mails is reimbursed on a basis of the
appraised value of the herd, the ap-
praiser being appointed by the state.
The expense of the whole process of
condemnation and disinfection is d.
vided equally between the federal and
state governments.
Until the entire premises have been
thoroughly disinfected and all dan
ger of spreading the disease removed,
the farm is quarantined by local au-
thorities in the same way in which
it would be for 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.
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 trac-
ing up. through bills of lading 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 To-
Gated and Immediately examined by
veterinarians. Similarly, the numbers
of all cars in which animals have been
transported from these districts have
been obtained. and these are being To-
Gated and thoroughly cleaned and dis
infected.
Inspection Follows.
Following the imposition of a gen.
eral federal quarantine and the kill
ing Of actually infected herds, comes
a farm-to-farm inspection of the en-
tire quarantined 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 &C.
tually infected counties or districts,
and allow the uninfected territories to
resume interstate shipments of stock.
History Of Present Outbreak.
THE present outbreak first appeared
in southern Michigan. How it was
introduced there is not known. Ship
ments Of diseased hogs from this
place, which passed through Chicago,
are believed to be responsible for the
infection OF the pens in the Union
stockyards. Once the yards became
infected there was danger that every
shipment of live stock through Chi |
cago to other parts Of the country
might pick up the germs Of the dis
ease and spread the contagion.