The dairy difference

摘要

Cows on dairy farms are five times as likely to catch foot and mouth disease as those on farms rearing beef cattle, say vets who analysed patterns of FMD in Cumbria, one of the "hot spots" in Britain's recent epidemic. The vets say the difference should be factored into mathematical models used to predict the course of epidemics and recommend control measures. "As far as we in the field are concerned, this was pretty obvious," says Sam Mansley, head of epidemiology for North England and South Scotland at the government's Animal Health Office in Carlisle. "It concerned us that it had been missed out of the models used this time."