REVIEW ON EPIDEMIOLOGY OF FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE (FMD) IN ETHIOPIA

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious transboundary disease that affects all cloven hoofed animals. It is caused by a virus that belongs to the genus Aphthovirus of the family Picornaviridae. Foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) occurs in seven standard serotypes: A, O, C, and South African Territories (SAT) 1, SAT 2, SAT 3, and Asia1. The disease has a high morbidity although mortality is rare in adult animals. The impact posed by the disease is enormous. It affects animal’s performance directly through reduction of milk yield. Death of young animals and fertility impairment due to increased abortion rate are also the grave consequences of the disease. FMD has a great potential for causing severe economic loss. Greatest losses can result from refusal of FMD free countries to import livestock and livestock products from infected region. The disease has been present in almost every part of the world where livestock are kept. More than 100 countries are still affected by FMD worldwide and distribution of the disease roughly reflects economic development. Despite considerable information being available about the virus, the disease and vaccines, FMD remains a major threat to the livestock industry worldwide. FMD is endemic disease in Ethiopia with multiple serotypes in circulation at varying prevalence levels. Estimation of economic losses by FMD can provide a better overall view of the impact of the disease on national economy and can contribute in estimating the extent of the losses to be avoided and also understanding its transmission dynamics can contribute for suggesting appropriate control intervention mechanism. In Ethiopia there is limited research done on this aspect. Many resources have been and still are devoted to surveillance and molecular characterization of FMD, therefore the aims of this seminar paper are to review the major risk factors for transmission of disease, review the economic impact of FMD and suggest prevention and control measures.