Foot-and-mouth disease

Also: FMD, aphthous fever, khurpaka-muhpaka

Foot-and-mouth disease is caused by a virus that spreads very easily between cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, pigs and wild cloven-hoofed animals. It causes fever and blisters in the mouth and between the claws, so animals drool and limp, and milk yield falls sharply. Most adults recover, but it can kill young animals and badly harms livelihoods and trade. Countries free of it guard that status strictly: the 2001 outbreak in Britain led to the culling of millions of animals and closed much of the countryside for months. In India, where it is known as khurpaka-muhpaka, a national programme vaccinates cattle and buffalo twice a year.

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