(DAVIS, CA, 5-Sep-07 – AgNewsWire) In the wake of the recent foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in the UK, researchers at the Center for Animal Disease Modeling and Surveillance (CADMS) at UC Davis, are calling upon livestock producers to participate in an online survey. The goal of the survey is to collect information for a computer simulation model that will help predict how foot-and-mouth would spread in the US and identify the best control strategies for containment.
The online survey was first launched in 2006 and is part of a research study funded by the Department of Homeland Security and the National Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense. “It is very important that we get as many responses as possible from producers so we can determine the best containment strategy and stop foot-and-mouth disease in its tracks,” said Dr. Tim Carpenter, Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology and primary investigator for the study. The new version of the survey consists of nine questions about animal and people movements on and off the farm and takes only about 5-10 minutes to complete. Dairy, swine and goat producers are especially encouraged to participate.