Originally from: Bill
                        
Was nothing learned, Frances, or did they know all along? The epidemic screeched to a halt after Osama hit the twin towers in New York. Maybe Blair decided there were bigger fish to fry.

The disease was being spread by contagious contact, humans as biological carriers. Remember Brigadier "Birtie" Birtwistle? Since he retired he has gone on record admitting the Army would have done more to stop the spread of the disease by staying in their barracks.

In 2001 the doctors' surgery near Fulwood Barracks recorded an epidemic of what they were told to diagnose as "Hand Foot and Mouth [Coxsackie virus] Disease". My very good friend with 15 years in general practice has never seen the like of it before or since.

Incidentally it is impossible to catch "Hand Foot and Mouth" from animals as the Coxsackie virus exists solely in mankind. If you erupt in a rash after being sprayed with bodily fluids from an FMD infected animal YOU HAVE GOT FMD.

Ribble Valley farmers realised vets were spreading the disease by contagious contact and stopped FMD in its tracks barring vets from disease free farms. (Without so much as a whimper of protest from DEFRA)

I have a copy of a report written in 1912!!!!!!! that concludes humans working to halt spread of the disease do the exact opposite, the net result being the disease spreads further and the epidemic lasts longer.

I feel as if I have been banging my head against a brick wall for the last 3 years.

All the best,
Bill.