Final Push on Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Veterinary experts say foot-and-mouth disease should soon be a thing of the Americas' past. İAlexandre Spatuzza

Veterinary health experts, cattle growers and others involved in the food production chain will travel to Houston, Texas, in early March to coordinate a final push to eradicate foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) from the Americas.

Organized by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Hemispheric Conference for the Eradication of Foot-and-Mouth Disease will take place March 3 and 4 during the 2004 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

The conference will bring together ministers of health and agriculture along with other representatives of the public and private sectors, international organizations, the scientific community and consumer organizations. PAHO Director Mirta Roses Periago and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman are among those scheduled to address the conference.

The meeting's chief objectives are:

• To reaffirm institutional and political commitments to adopt a strategic approach to eradicating FMD.
• To determine how stakeholders can participate most effectively in the eradication drive.
• To promote better evaluation methods.

Progress toward the eradication of FMD from the Americas has been substantial in recent years. According to a report to be presented at the conference, there are only a few areas in South America where the disease remains endemic.

PAHO and its Pan American Foot-and-Mouth Disease Center (PANAFTOSA), in Brazil, have provided critical leadership in the fight against FMD. With their support, the region has developed surveillance systems that facilitate the control of FMD as well as other animal diseases including tuberculosis, rabies and brucellosis.