Foot-and-mouth epidemic takes toll on human life

LONDON - Farm worker Andrew Keighley did not live to see the 100th day of the foot-and-mouth epidemic that has devastated Britain's livestock industry. He hanged himself two days before.

Official reassurances that the epidemic was largely under control were apparently not enough to prevent the 33-year-old from killing himself this week at his father's farm in Yorkshire, northern England, after losing his job at a local stockyard closed by the disease.

Keighley's father, Willie, told the BBC that his son had turned into a total wreck in just a few days. "He just left us a note to say that foot-and-mouth disease and his love of his job in farming had killed him."

Keighley's death two days before the 100th day of the epidemic yesterday was a poignant reminder of the human cost of an animal disease that the British Government's chief scientist has called potentially the world's biggest outbreak of foot-and-mouth.

Professor David King also warned that further clusters of the disease could be expected before it is eradicated.

"The only way we can damp this down and keep it under control is to maintain a strict regime," he said.

While the epidemic has been showing signs of ending, the Government and farmers have been dismayed by a recent outbreak in Keighley's home area of Yorkshire.

King estimated that the disease, which was first detected at an abattoir in February, was not expected to be eradicated before late next month or the middle of August.



In 100 days the highly infectious disease has spread rapidly across Britain, leading to the slaughter of more than three million animals and the loss of meat markets and tourism revenues.

Prime Minister Tony Blair, who had been expected to call national elections on May 3, when the disease was rampant, was forced to delay the poll until June 7.

Some European countries blamed Britain for exporting foot-and-mouth when France, the Netherlands and Ireland confirmed that they had cases.

Foot-and-mouth came as a hammer blow to Britain's livestock farmers, only beginning to recover from the ravages of mad cow disease during the 1980s and 1990s.

Last month, when the new election date was finally announced, Government ministers said the battle against foot-and-mouth was finally being won. But that was before the new outbreaks in Yorkshire.

Almost 1700 premises have been confirmed as having the disease, with many neighbouring farms having to cull their cattle, sheep or pigs for fear of also having it.

But despite the latest scare, the number of foot-and-mouth cases confirmed daily has eased, with five on average in the week ending May 27 compared with up to 50 a day at the height of the epidemic.

- REUTERS

Feature: Foot-and-mouth disaster

World organisation for animal health

UK Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

The European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Pig Health/Foot and Mouth feature

Virus databases online