LONDON - The outbreak of foot and mouth disease in southern England could effectively be over by the end of the week if no new cases emerge, but farmers must stay vigilant, one of Britain's top microbiologists said yesterday.
The highly infectious disease was found in livestock ontwo farms in Surrey but tests on two other properties proved negative.
"If there's nothing more by the end of this coming week I think we can be pretty certain we are in the clear," Hugh Pennington, a bacteriology professor and one of Britain's leading food safety experts, told the BBC.
However, he said it was important not to relax protection and surveillance measures. As a result of the outbreak, more than 570 animals have been destroyed and the European Union and individual countries have banned British meat and dairy exports.
Farmers say the trade curbs are costing them £1.8 million (NZ$4.9 million) a day.
