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What is Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD)

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a severe and highly contagious viral disease of livestock that has a significant economic impact. Fiji is free from this sever and highly contagious viral disease of animals.

The disease affects cattle, swine, sheep, goats and other cloven-hoofed ruminants. Intensively reared animals are more susceptible to the disease than traditional breeds. The disease is rarely fatal in adult animals, but there is often high mortality in young animals due to myocarditis or, when the dam is infected by the disease, lack of milk.

FMD is characterised by fever and blister-like sores on the tongue and lips, in the mouth, on the teats and between the hooves. The disease causes severe production losses, and while the majority of affected animals recover, the disease often leaves them weakened and debilitated.

The organism which causes FMD is an aphthovirus of the family Picornaviridae. There are seven strains (A, O, C, SAT1, SAT2, SAT3, and Asia1) which are endemic in different countries worldwide. Each strain requires a specific vaccine to provide immunity to a vaccinated animal. All seven of the serotypes have also been found in wildlife.