19 feb 2001 anni - Foot-and-mouth outbreak in the UK

Descrizione:

On 19th February 2001, a severe foot-and-mouth outbreak took hold in the UK, with devastating impacts on both agriculture and tourism. This highly infectious viral disease affects cloven-hoofed animals, including cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs. While not a significant threat to human health, it can lead to widespread economic damage, due to loss of livestock. The disease causes fever and blister-like sores on the tongue and lips, in the mouth, on teats, and between hooves. When the blisters burst, they leave raw, painful areas that cause lameness and reluctance to eat or move. This can lead to weight loss, reduced milk production, and in some cases, death, especially in young animals.

Farmers in the UK reported over 2,000 cases of the disease, leading to the enforced slaughter of more than six million sheep and cattle in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus, making it the worst foot-and-mouth outbreak in the country's history. By the time it ended in October 2001, the crisis had cost the UK an estimated £8bn.

The government's response faced severe criticism. The policy of mass culling, rather than vaccination, was heavily disputed, with images of burning pyres of animals becoming a grim symbol of the crisis. In addition to its major economic impacts, the crisis also led to the postponement of the general election from May to June, the first such delay since the Second World War. Despite the containment of the outbreak before the end of the year, the event exposed significant shortcomings in the country's disease control measures, leading to substantial changes in agricultural and environmental policy.

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