Foot-and-mouth disease in the southern provinces of Cambodia

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a severe, highly communicable viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals including cattle, buffaloes, pigs, sheep and goats. Although FMD does not result in high mortality in most outbreaks, the disease is debilitating and leads to significant economic losses from its impact on trade. FMD has a significant impact on livestock systems due to lower production of infected animals resulting from reduced food intake, reduced meat and milk production and draught capacity, and losses from reduced trade and tourism-related activities (Kazimi and Shan 1980; Morris et al. 2002; Perry et al. 2002). Before this study, there was little epidemiological information on which to formulate logical procedures for control. A further constraint to the development of extension programs for the control of FMD is the lack of information about the disease, including its prevalence and incidence and the direct and indirect losses incurred. The current study was developed to better understand the pattern of FMD and the risk attributed to the spread of the disease in Cambodia. This information will be used to underpin the estab¬lishment of a progressive zoning approach to control FMD in the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB)