Foot and Mouth Disease in the UK - Biological Attack ?

http://www.vrus.net/Biowar.htm

Early in February, an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease started in Northumberland in Northeastern England. According to veterinarians consulted at the time, it was a strain of the disease essentially similar to a strain native to Asia. In the next few weeks, through the process of normal livestock sales, the disease spread extensively throughout the UK livestock business.

The last outbreak of Foot and Mouth in the UK occurred in 1967, and was limited to North West England, and involved over a thousand cases of the disease during the winter and spring. The disease was deemed to have been controlled due to the less developed livestock transport system.

The virus which spreads this disease has proven particularly virulent in the current outbreak, and has been spread widely due to large-scale transportation of animals throughout the UK and Europe (some see this as an indication of the effect of globalism on the agri-business). Despite closing down the entire livestock transportation system at all levels, the virus has spread massively despite UK Ministry of Agriculture measures to limit its spread.

Precisely how Foot and Mouth disease started in the UK remains debatable; According to initial reports, the farm that originated the initial outbreak in Northumberland fed waste food to its animals, which might have contained infectious agents carrying the disease. How this might occur cannot be verified, but outbreaks are ongoing in Argentina and other parts of the world.

It would not be impossible for meat infected with Foot and Mouth to be imported due to bad practice in checking food imports – the imported food products being sold on from the catering industry to agriculture, apparently a widely-spread practice at pig farms.

Another possibility exists – that the UK has been the target of Biological Warfare / Bioterrorism by unfriendly nations such as Iraq; The danger posed by the use of biological agents against population, military or economy was highlighted by Dr John M Deutch, the Director of the CIA, in a speech given at a “Conference on Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Weapons Proliferation and Terrorism” (http://www.cia.gov/cia/public_affairs/speeches/archives/1996/dci_speech_052396.html) In May 1996 as being “…. A really dangerous and immediate threat.” Being the voice of the CIA to the US government, and to the world, he stated with Iraq as an example:-

“Iraq has expertise, hidden components, and a leadership, in case anyone is in doubt, willing to resume chemical, biological and nuclear production.”

Quite obviously, the United States Government paid heed to Dr Deutch’s warnings, and by the end of the 1990s was investing hundreds of millions of dollars annually upgrading biological warfare facilities (such as the USDAg facility at Plum Island, New York) to combat the prospect of Bioterrorism.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, the CIA lists Foot and Mouth Disease as one of the 15 animal agents that have potential Biological Warfare applications.

In contrast, according to figures supplied by the US Department of Agriculture, the cost of developing an effective Economic Biological Warfare weapon (targeting the enemy’s agricultural system) runs staggeringly low – perhaps as low as $10 million.

See USDA “The Threat of Intentional Introduction of Foreign Animal Diseases in to the United States” http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ep/avma/villard.html

According to this report :-

“Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Attack--A terrorist group wishing to show the weakness of the United States has targeted our agricultural industry to demonstrate the vulnerability of the United States to a BW attack. The terrorist group decided to use FMD because of its ease of availability around the world. FMD is a highly contagious viral infection that easily spreads by: 1, direct or indirect contact with infected animals; 2, spread of aerosol from infected animals; 3, feeding contaminated garbage; 4, contact with contaminated objects; 5, artificial insemination; and 6, contaminated biologicals.

Although the direct impact on human health would be minimal to none, its affect on the animal industry would be severe due to the control measures that would be necessary to contain it: 1, stop movement of animal and animal products in the area affected; 2, slaughter infected animals; 3, destroy carcasses; 4, disinfect vehicles leaving the infected areas; and 5, mass vaccination campaign.

From an article by Harriet Griffin on CASI.net (http://www.casi.org.uk/discuss/1999/msg00244.html)

A likely course of events might involve follow:

· A member of the terrorist group travels to Asia (possible China) to obtain scabs or fluid from infected animal

· Terrorist infect a small herd of swine to act as a incubator

· Samples are collected from herd and buffered at a pH between 6.5 and 11 to maintain viability and are placed in aerosolizesers

· Members of the terrorist group travel to major livestock center in the United States

· Members of the terrorist group gain access to major livestock markets throughout the United States

· Members spray aerosolized FMD into pens of cattle and swine in sale barns, and trucks

· Animals are then dispersed to different parts of the country

· Some animals begin to develop symptoms as early as 12 hours after exposure, but initially are attributed to shipping stress

· After initially exposed animals have been moved out, the pens and grounds are contaminated and posed to infect the next group of animals to enter the livestock market

The biologic economic warfare cycle has begun. Before FMD can be initially diagnosed, it has already spread beyond the initial confines of the livestock markets. Trucks hauling animals from market are dispersing the agent around the country. After the initial diagnosis, herds are being quarantined around the country. USDA personnel are responding to multiple reported suspect herds, and resources are being spread thin. The news media has picked-up on the news of possible FMD outbreaks, and the public is becoming concerned. Misinformation concerning the Food and Mouth Disease in animals, and Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease in children is causing public panic. After the FMD serotype has been determined and linked to Asia, the source will not be determined and the possibility of a BW attack will begin to be considered “

This extract illustrates the ease by which a malignant nation could engineer the disruption of a Western-style agricultural economy. Of the nations known to have a large Bioweapons industry which has previously shown no constraint to their use is Iraq, whose Biological Warfare research facilities were established in 1985 as the Muthanna State Establishment, and by the time of the ending of the Iran-Iraq War, had already deployed Anthrax-based biological weapons ready for military use.

Toward the end of the 1980s, most mainline Biological Weapons research was moved to Salman Pak, south of Baghdad, while research on military application of Foot and Mouth Disease and Botulinium, with a side-line of camelpox, enterovirus 70 and rotavirus was conducted at the Daura facility at Al Manal South East of Baghdad (33*49’N 44*42’E).

Ostensibly, a plant for producing vaccine for Foot and Mouth Disease, the Daura facility had been investigated by UNSCOM personnel in 1991, and accepted at the time that it was a civilian facility.

This was not so on inspection in 1995, when most evidence available to international investigators pointed to it having been “…. Not a purely civilian facility, but had been used for biological warfare agent production, research and development.”

Consider the current UK outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in the context given in the US Department of Agriculture report on Bioterrorism, in the light of Biological Weapons programs pursued by non-friendly governments. .

It is not inconceivable that the UK is the first casualty of a Biological attack as depicted in the USDA report.

Further discussion available on Vrus.net Forum
http://www.coolboard.com/boardshow.cfm?mb=427499541092064

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