Why Erroneous Word of Mouth is More Dangerous to Humans than Foot and Mouth
A quick thought about recent global news chronicling the ‘outbreaks’ of foot and mouth disease around the UK.
In this case, ‘word of mouth’ is much more dangerous than ‘foot and mouth.’ When consumers hear ‘foot and mouth’, they immediately jump to ‘mad cow disease’ and then begin to panic. The reality is that the two are distinctly different.
From a recent ENS story:
The [UK] Health Protection Agency advises that foot and mouth disease is not a direct public health threat.
The [UK] Food Standards Agency considers that foot and mouth disease has no implications for the human food chain. Because the virus that causes the disease is sensitive to stomach acid, it cannot spread to humans through consumption of infected meat.
It’s up to those in the industry–and the associations that represent them–to help educate the public that foot and mouth disease isn’t a true human health risk, but does present an economic one.
