Up Front
Foot and MouthDisease Travel Advisory
With the Easter travel season upon us, theCayman Islands Department of Agriculture (DoA) today issued atravel advisory to all persons planning to visit the United Kingdom,Ireland, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, South America,Argentina or any other country infected with foot and mouth disease(FMD).
This extremely contagious virus affectsall cloven-hoofed animals such as pigs, cattle, sheep, goats anddeer. Although FMD poses no direct threat to humans, the virusis easily transported on clothing, footwear and other personalitems. The virus can also be carried on meat or animal products,particularly raw or improperly cooked or cured food.
The introduction of FMD to the Cayman Islandswould be disastrous, impacting livestock farmers as well as havingnegative effects on the tourism industry.
Travelers can take precautions to help ensurethat Cayman remains FMD free. First and foremost, travelers mustnot bring any meat, dairy or other animal products back to theCayman Islands from any of the infected countries listed above.Upon arriving in Cayman, if you have any food items and othermaterials of plant or animal origin in your possession you mustdeclare them to Customs. That half-eaten sandwich from lunch couldspell disaster.
When abroad, travelers are reminded to lookout for and heed all warning signs and restrictions on where youcan go and what you can and cannot do in FMD affected areas. Avoidvisiting farms, zoos, wildlife parks or any other animal facilitiesfor five days prior to traveling to the Islands.
If your trip necessitates that you visitthese sites or any area affected by FMD, then it is importantto launder or dry-clean all clothing and outerwear, carefullyclean and remove soil from footwear and then disinfect by wipingwith a cloth dampened with a bleach solution (five teaspoons ofhousehold bleach in a gallon of water). As a further precautionany soiled luggage and personal belongings, including watches,cameras, laptops and cell phones, should be wiped clean with adamp cloth a containing bleach solution.
Upon returning to Cayman, all visits tofarms or any livestock facilities must be declared to the customsofficers. The DoA further requests that all returning travelersavoid farms and contact with local livestock for at least 14 daysafter their return.
Individuals who are themselves farmers,or who work on farms, must take additional precautions. Theseinclude, showering and changing into a clean set of clothing andarranging for all traveling clothes to be laundered before proceedingto the farm.
FMD is a very real threat to our Islandsand we must all do our part to protect them. For more informationdo not hesitate to contact the DoA at 947-3090.
Follow-up Meeting for Farmers:
All livestock farmers and other interestedpersons are invited by the Department of Agriculture to attenda follow-up meeting on Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). The primarypurpose of the meeting is to update farmers on the latest on theFMD outbreak in Europe and measures being taken to protect thecountry from this very real threat.
Farmers will have the opportunity to discussand give their input into the National Emergency Response Planthat would be followed, should this or any similar disease everreach these islands.
The meeting will be held at the AgriculturalPavilion, Lower Valley on Wednesday, 18 April, 7:30 p.m.
For further information, please contact Brian Crichlow at 947-3090.