Travelers arriving at several European airports and harbors from Britain must have their shoes disinfected. Health officials in Finland encourage arrivals to take a cleansing sauna. Swedish farmers are discouraging barnyard visitors they usually welcome.
Such precautions may seem odd or drastic, but the foot-and-mouth virus is so potentially devastating to animals -- though fortunately not to humans -- that no one wants to take unnecessary chances.
"Maybe some of these measures are a little bit too overreactive, but we also must remember the consequences," said Anders Engvall of the Swedish Veterinary Institute. "Maybe it's better to be a little bit too cautious in this situation."
It is extremely difficult to contain an outbreak of the highly contagious virus that infects cloven-hoofed animals like sheep, cows and pigs in Britain. It was first detected at a slaughterhouse near London last week. Already, thousands of British-exported animals have been destroyed.
The health alert prompted the cancelation of sports events, animal shows and even Dublin's St Patrick's Day parade. In Scotland, the world's first cloned sheep, named Dolly, was placed in quarantine for her safety.
The fact that foot-and-mouth can be contracted by breathing and the virus can survive for lengthy periods on boots and clothing has led to a host of sudden travel restrictions.
Portugal is requiring passengers arriving from Britain to disinfect their shoes in a washbasin upon arrival at any airport or port. "The outbreak has triggered an unprecedented control on anything coming from the UK. People even have to `wipe' their feet when they arrive in Portugal," the Portuguese daily Diario de Noticias stated.
Swedish farmers are being encouraged to avoid unnecessary visitors or at least make sure their clothing is disinfected until the situation is brought under control.
German airports have placed food entering from Britain -- anything containing meat or dairy products -- under suspicion as a possible carrier. Customs officers were even confiscating uneaten sandwiches from passengers.
A case of foot and mouth disease has also been reported in a herd of calves in Turkey, the Anadolu news agency reported on Friday.
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source