Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD)

Current Context : Recently, Union government decided to establish foot-and-mouth disease-free zones in eight States — Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.

About Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD)

• It is a severe, fast-spreading viral disease that primarily affects cloven-hoofed animals, including cows, pigs, sheep, goats, and deer.
• They’re left weak and unable to produce the level of meat and milk prior to infection.
• It was first discovered in the United States in 1870 and eradicated in 1929.