Foot and mouth is a viral disease which affects cloven-hooved animals particularly cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and deer. It is transferred by contact with an infected animal or foodstuffs but can also be airborne.
It is debilitating but not usually fatal to adult animals but can be fatal to young animals.
The virus can cross the species barrier to humans but with very great difficulty. The last human case in the UK occurred in 1966. In the rare cases where it has occurred, the disease is of short duration and does not require medical treatment.
According to the Food Standards Agency, there are no safety implications for the human food chain and people do not need to change their diet – and can continue to consume meat and milk.
It is not a public health issue. The FSA state that “The foot and mouth virus is destroyed by heat. Therefore, even if it were to be transmissible to humans, cooking of meat and pasteurisation of milk would kill the virus”.
If your daughter has not been in contact with animals with the disease, then it is unlikely she has the disease. Medical advice should be sought if she continues to suffer flu or cold like symptoms as this may be due to some other cause.
