Foot and mouth disease

14 September 2007 -- British authorities have confirmed the discovery of a case of foot and mouth disease at a second farm west of London just days after the latest outbreak was announced.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), in a statement Friday, said cattle on a farm adjacent to the previous infection site have tested positive for the disease.

Authorities had gathered the animals for slaughter, suspecting they could also be infected.    » read more »

08 August 2007 -- For the first time since the confirmation of foot-and-mouth disease in Britain earlier this month, the government has decided to ease restrictions on livestock shipments in areas outside of the affected zone in southern England.    » read more »

05 August 2007 -- The specific strain of Britain's new foot-and-mouth outbreak has been identified and it looks like it may have originated from a nearby animal disease research facility. Investigators are examining the possibility of a costly breach of bio-security.

The isolated strain, 01BFS67, came from the 1967 outbreak in Britain. That unique version of the virus is used at a British government research lab and at the U.S.-French owned pharmaceutical company Merial, which is also on the same site as the lab about six kilometers from the outbreak farm.    » read more »