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Veterinarians worried about agroterrorism Monday, July 18, 2005
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Nearly 10,000 veterinarians and other animal-health workers who gathered in the Twin Cities are learning what they could do if terrorists intentionally infect animals with diseases.
"Agroterror would in fact be very easy to do, and we are quite vulnerable," said Dr. Corrie Brown, head of the pathology department at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine.
Animal diseases that could be turned to weapons are typically highly contagious and easily obtained in less-developed countries, Brown said Saturday during a joint convention of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the World Veterinary Congress. The congress includes veterinarians from 40 countries.
Brown's 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.
Veterinarians and security experts worry that terrorists might intentionally infect animals and cause human plagues with diseases that can be spread to people.
They're also worried by a shortage of laboratories equipped to handle dangerous foreign diseases, and a coming shortage of veterinarians, who provide the link between animal health and public health.
Bernard Vallat, director general of the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health, said he fears the introduction of diseases such as avian influenza, anthrax or rabies by bioterrorists intent on harming both animals and the public.
He said another concern is pathogens that strictly affect livestock, because they can devastate economies.
"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 if not caught within the first 24 hours, said Dr. Bonnie Beaver, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Veterinarians and others attended seminars that began Saturday and will continue through Tuesday on how to spot certain blisters, sores and other signs of exotic diseases.
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.
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