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Measures Taken in HK to Prevent Import of New Strains of FMD Virus
Hong Kong has taken measures to prevent the import of new strains of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) virus by suspending the importation of live pigs, cattle, sheep and goats from places where FMD outbreaks occur.
A spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Friday said that the importation of infected cloven- hoofed animals, such as pigs, cattle, sheep and goats, represents the biggest risk of introducing new strains of FMD virus into Hong Kong.
The spokesman said that Hong Kong has prohibited imports of cloven-hoofed animals from countries and regions including the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and all South East Asian countries with FMD. "We have also suspended the import of cloven-hoofed animals from the Republic of Ireland in view of an outbreak of FMD there," the spokesman added.
He stressed that the risk of introducing new strains of FMD virus via the importation of meat is very low. Meat from infected livestock can only re-infect other livestock if the meat is intentionally fed to them.
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