Concerted global strategy needed to fight foot-and-mouth disease, UN food agency says

A concerted international strategy was needed to fight and control the global threat of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), including more assistance to the developing countries where the virus is endemic, the head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today.

"Supporting developing countries to better control and eradicate transboundary animal diseases is in the mutual interest of agriculture and livestock in both rich and poor countries," FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf told the International Conference on Prevention and Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease in Brussels.

No region or country fighting FMD in isolation could obtain lasting success, Dr. Diouf warned. "Strengthening of national border controls and of commodity inspections alone will not be enough to manage the risk of the international spread of FMD," he said. " We need a global plan for the containment and progressive control of FMD at the source in the areas where it is still endemic." Endemic regions are located in Africa, the Near East, Asia and South America.

According to FAO, transboundary animal diseases affect the livelihoods of millions of farmers in developing countries and hamper the possibility of them benefiting from the rapid increase in animal production and trade expected in the coming 20 years, which would offer an opportunity to escape from hunger and poverty.