Livestock Disease Forces Horse Racing Suspension in BritainAll horse racing in Britain and Ireland was suspended Tuesday and a major rugby match was called off because of the fast-spreading outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.A number of sports events have been threatened by the outbreak of at least 17 separate cases of the livestock ailment in England and Wales. The Six Nations rugby union match on Saturday between Wales and Ireland in Cardiff was postponed, with 15,000 Irish fans planning to attend. The Irish government feared fans might bring the disease home. The Jockey Club, which runs horse racing in England, said racing will be suspended at least until March 7. Foot-and-mouth disease almost never infects humans, but it is highly contagious among cloven-footed animals like sheep, cows and pigs. It is not usually fatal in itself, but causes blisters on the mouth and feet, fever and loss of appetite. Vaccines exist but are quickly rendered ineffective by the development of new strains of the virus, so wholesale slaughter of livestock is used to contain the disease. |
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