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This Story from NAL's Collection invites readers to appreciate the complex history of foot-and-mouth disease and the relationship between the United States and Mexico. It briefly chronicles the 1946-1954 foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Mexico and how the United States and Mexican governments worked together to eradicate the disease.

Title 9: Animals and Animal Products, Part 94

See also: Foot-and-Mouth Disease Emergency Response for more information

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus spreads much more aggressively in pigs than previous research suggests, according to a new study by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists. The study, recently published in Scientific Reports, shows that pigs infected with the FMD virus were highly contagious to other pigs just 24 hours after infection—long before showing any clinical signs of infection such as fever and blisters. Foot-and-mouth disease continues to be the most important foreign disease of livestock worldwide, said Jonathan Arzt, lead investigator and veterinary medical officer with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS). Although the United States has not had an FMD outbreak since 1929, this highly contagious viral disease, which is sometimes fatal, is still considered a serious threat to U.S. agriculture.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny L. Moffitt commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Mexico-U.S. Commission for Prevention of Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Other Exotic Animal Diseases (CPA). To celebrate this occasion, Mexico’s National Agro-Alimentary Health, Safety, and Quality Service (SENASICA) hosted a celebration in Mexico City. This binational Commission, established in 1947, was instrumental in eradicating foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Mexico and preventing introduction to the United States. FMD was eradicated from the United States in 1929, and Mexico has been FMD-free since 1954. This celebration honors the longevity and success of this collaboration between the United States and Mexico.