http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5510541.html Last update: July 16, 2005 at 11:25 PM
New fears: Animal-disease terrorism Joy Powell, Star Tribune July 17, 2005 TERROR0717 ? In a worldwide gathering in Minneapolis this weekend, nearly 10,000 veterinarians and other animal-health workers are learning what they can do if terrorists infect animals with diseases that might spread to people or, at the least, crush economies. "Agroterror would in fact be very easy to do, and we are quite vulnerable," said Dr. Corrie Brown, a professor and head of the Pathology Department at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. Animal diseases that could be turned to weapons by terrorists are typically highly contagious and easily obtained in less-developed countries, Brown said Saturday at a joint convention of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the World Veterinary Congress. The congress, which includes veterinarians from 40 nations, has not met in this country since 1934. Her presentation included an image of a scrawled list of livestock diseases -- some of which could kill humans -- that turned up in a cave in Afghanistan. The U.S. government recently declassified the list. "We know that there are numerous operatives that were planning these things," she said. The worst terrorist attacks of this era, from the Sept. 11, 2001, strikes to the London bombings, have been designed to swiftly kill people. Veterinarians and experts from the Office of Homeland Security worry that terrorists might infect animals and cause human plagues with diseases such as Ebola or Rift Valley Fever, a viral disease that attacks livestock and can be spread to people by mosquitoes. Heightening the veterinarians' concern is a shortage of laboratory facilities equipped to handle dangerous foreign diseases, and also a coming shortage of veterinarians, who provide the link between animal health and public health. Veterinary workers are on the front line of defending the world from such terrorism, because animals serve as sentinels for the presence of disease that could spread to people, said Bernard Vallat, director general of the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health. Vallat said he fears the introduction of diseases such as avian influenza, anthrax or rabies by bioterrorists intent on harming both animals and people. Other pathogens that strictly affect livestock can devastate economies, he said. "The foot-and-mouth disease virus could be a terrible agent for bioterrorism because it could destroy totally the production of milk in a country," Vallat said. Foot and mouth disease, which also attacks hogs and sheep, could sweep across the United States with dire economic consequences if not caught within the first 24 hours, said Dr. Bonnie Beaver, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The hosts could be plentiful. Last year, the world produced 21 billion animals to feed its 6.2 billion people. Veterinarians and other animal-health workers attended seminars that began Saturday and will continue through Tuesday on how to spot the blisters, sores and other signs of exotic diseases. In the United States, veterinarians must coordinate with local, state and federal agencies on preventing and responding to such diseases and agroterrorism, said Col. John Hoffman of the Department of Homeland Security. Another priority is to replace the nation's only foreign animal disease laboratory on Plum Island, N.Y. "It's 50 years old," Beaver said. "We need a totally new facility." Vallat, of the World Organization for Animal Health, called for coordination among nations to help prevent, detect and contain animal disease. Vallat also urged veterinarians to help poor countries fight animal diseases because they contribute to poverty, block market access and constitute a threat to countries already free of such disease. Joy Powell is at [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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