I got a complete version, so I'm reprinting David's post with the missing
part attached.

C

----- Original Message -----
From: David Karas <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2001 1:06 AM
Subject: Foot and Moth Disease


> I received this as a forward. I liked it and decided to post it. I
received it
> truncated at the end and am sending it as is. I haven't verified it but it
has a
> ring of truth.
>
>
>                "Stay away from the countryside..
>                    and stay away from the facts!"
>
>       Foot and Mouth - the management of a pseudo-crisis.
>
>             Steven Ransom, Credence Publications
>
> Over this last week, international television and radio news bulletins
have
> brought world audiences graphic reports of an encroaching pestilence. The
> dreaded and highly infectious livestock disease known as 'foot and mouth'
or FMD
> has returned to British shores. The globe is being treated to round the
clock
> reports on 'the extent of the FMD nightmare'. Mounds of destroyed cattle,
> gruesome pyres burning through the night, ashen-faced reporters delivering
the
> latest outbreak statistics, people being warned to stay away from the
> countryside. "As well as being airborne, the foot and mouth virus can
adhere
> to car tyres. Do not venture into the countryside, unless absolutely
necessary."
> warned the BBC Monday 27th Feb 10 o'clock evening news. The same feature
> included reports of international rugby matches being cancelled, a meat
shortage
> crisis pending, pan shots of once-thriving but now empty cattle markets,
lots of
> hype, lots of emotion, lots of TV batten-down specials...but, as we shall
soon
> discover, no actual facts.
>
> In truth, if the events of this last week have taught us anything, it is
just
> how much we are at the mercy of today's media. As a result of this barrage
of
> emotive, inaccurate hype, there are now members of the public who consider
it
> genuinely irresponsible to hang out a strip of bacon for their garden
birds, or
> to go for a walk in the country until this crisis is over. Despite the
> much-trusted BBC, ITV, CH4 pronouncements, the facts surrounding this
'crisis'
> are very different to what we have so far been told.
>
> Abigail Wood is a vet and researcher into the history of FMD, based at the
> University of Manchester in the UK. She remains very down to earth over
these
> latest  'rampaging vicious virus' reports. Credence Publications contacted
her
> as a result of her recent UK Times article (1) which began thus: "Foot and
mouth
> is as serious to animals as a bad cold is to human beings. So why the
concern?"
> Wood's research, in conjunction with research carried out by Credence
> Publications makes it quite clear that FMD is not the vicious gremlin we
have
> been led to believe.
>
> So what is FMD?  The current wisdom which we shall be examining a little
later,
> theorises that FMD is viral in nature. Symptoms of FMD in livestock begin
> usually with a temperature, followed within 24 hours by the appearance of
> blisters and ulcerations on places such as the tongue, lips, gums, dental
pad,
> interdigital skin of the feet, bulbs of the heels and milk teats.
Occasionally,
> ulcerations appear inside the nostrils or on the muzzle or vulva.
Visually,
> these ulcerations are the equivalent of large cold sores. The resultant
illness
> and lameness causes decreased appetite, a drop in milk yield, a drop in
> roductivity, and of course, increased care costs. Afflicted animals almost
> always recover, usually within a week or two. Death occurs in only 5
percent of
> cases. (2) And the meat is fit to eat. (3) For much of the 19th century,
FMD was
> common right the way across the UK. In fact, it was endemic. But it did
not
> destroy farming. We lived with it. Our cattle became ill..and then they
> recovered. Life continued on as normal. So why today's scenes of mass
> destruction? Quite simply, it is because we are continuing to adhere to
some
> woefully errant farming policy instituted nearly 50 years ago. Says Wood:
"The
> instant destruction policy was implemented in the 1950's by the UK
governing
> bodies, as a result of growing pressure over the years from pedigree herd
> owners, (rather than the more common meat and milk producers) who wished
to see
> the eradication of FMD. Continued promotion of the slaughter policy by the
UK
> authorities as the most effective way of dealing with foot and mouth,
eventually
> persuaded the continent and then the rest of the world to follow suit. We
> nstituted the policy, and now we have to live with the results of that
policy."
>
> In those early years, FMD was as much a part of British farming as bad
weather,
> poor harvests and other afflictions affecting livelihood. But in today's
> intensive farming climate, production and global reputation is everything.
> Because of the UK's continued and, as we shall see,  unfounded insistence
that
> FMD is highly infectious, and must be eradicated at all costs, one whiff
on the
> global food markets that UK herds have FMD leads quite naturally to
today's
> totally disproportionate scenes. If we are in a pit, then it is a pit of
our own
> making. And if this latest 'outbreak' is to be referred to as a nightmare,
then
> it is a nightmare brought about by our own political and economic
policies. The
> early zeal for the perfect pedigree - a disease-free herd -  is this same
ideal
> not mirrored in today's genome quest for a disease-free human race? It
seems
> that the FMD 'instant destruction' policy has its roots fair and square in
the
> mistaken belief that all illness and disease, even those considered minor
> and/or harmless, can eventually be eradicated.
>
> The cows, pigs and sheep dying today are not doing so as a result of any
> illness. They are dying entirely at the hands of man. The preliminary
report on
> this latest FMD 'outbreak' submitted by Dr J.M. Scudamore, UK Chief
Veterinary
> Officer, to the OIE (Office International des Epizooties) tells of 35
cases on
> three farms, no deaths occurring anywhere from the actual disease, but 577
> animals on those farms nevertheless instantly destroyed. (4) Should we
line up
> our children because they are coughing?
>
> With the facts to hand regarding FMD, should we not begin to ask some
> fundamental questions?  Why can't our vital farming community, and the
public at
> large be given the necessary facts, and then more importantly, the
opportunity
> to question this instant destruction policy? But therein lies the
difficulty
> folks. "It would be very difficult to change it now."  Wood told us. "That
would
> be to question the perceived wisdom of the last 100 years." It is
entrenched
> scientific error, and intractable pride on behalf of the UK agricultural
and
> governmental bodies, that is the killer in our midst.  A spokesperson from
the
> diagnostic department  of  Animal Health Trust who wished not to be named,
> stated  "The hype is all out of proportion. If the authorities just left
the
> animals alone to recover from FMD, this would make them healthy, and
immune the
> next time around."
>
> Moving on from 'foot and mouth as common cold', what's all this about FMD
being
> viral in nature, being airborne, and sticking to car tyres and Wellington
boots?
> Apparently, the FMD virus is quite choosy, being breathed out by pigs, but
not
> breathed in by cats ordogs. It can be hosted by horses, but to no
ill-effect,
> and humans too can contract the virus, suffering mild skin irritations.
But is
> this pattern of disease grounded in reality?  Does it conform to a
sensible
> pattern of disease? Or are we once again just trusting the wisdom of the
day? In
> attempting to discover how these agencies arrive at a positive diagnosis
of FMD,
> and to try and get an explanation for the seemingly illogical nature of
FMD
> proliferation, some conventional 'dodging' techniques began to surface.
And
> especially when questioned over the possibility of mis-diagnosis.
>
> The blood test used to determine the presence of the FMD virus is known as
the
> ELISA test or enzyme linked immuno-absorbent assay test. The test delivers
the
> positive reading by detecting proteins and antibodies in the blood,
proteins
> and antibodies which are presumed to be there as a result the presence of
the
> virus. At no time is a virus itself ever detected. No actual photograph
exists
> anywhere of the FMD virus. Like so many other viruses in the
$multi-billion
> virus industry, we have only innumerable artists' impressions to go by. As
far
> as actual proof is concerned, there isn't any. We accept the virus model
for FMD
> (and BSE for that matter) because that's what we're told.   But there are
good
> grounds indeed for questioning the validity of this whole approach to
disease
> detection. For ELISA comes to us with a very chequered history.
>
> In the realm of human medicine, ELISA is used extensively to detect
certain
> diseases, particularly HIV.  And this same test is now acknowledged to be
> responsible for delivering a very high number of 'false' positive HIV
diagnoses.
> Conventional medical literature lists some 60 different conditions,
unrelated to
> HIV that can elicit an HIV positive response, including flu! (5) It is
conflict
> of interests, huge pharmaceutical losses, entrenched error and the threat
of
> massive litigation that has so far stopped this disastrous story from
becoming
> more widely known.  Back to the farmyard, and we discover the animal
kingdom
> is equally susceptible to foreign proteins in the blood and heightened
levels of
> antibody activity. The stress of confinement alone can produce an immune
> response in an animal. Kelly Sapsford, Operations Manager at Harlan Sera
Labs, a
> serum and antibody manufacturing company told us "Antibodies are not
necessarily
> specific to one disease. Picture a key that fits a certain lock. The key
to that
> lock is not necessarily unique. There may well be other locks out there
that the
> key will fit.."  What minor illnesses are there in the animal kingdom that
might
> elicit the same immune response to FMD?  And with all these farms being
visited
> at such lightning speed, what are the protocols being adhered to? Are they
being
> adhered to? Surely, we are allowed to know these things.
>
> The officials at Pirbright Animal Health Laboratory responsible for
managing
> this latest 'crisis', however think otherwise. No awkward questions are
> entertained. Under specific instruction from management, a  Dr Tom Barrett
at
> Pirbright told us that staff were not allowed to answer any questions,
except
> through the Medical Director. Numerous telephone calls to MAFF (Ministry
of
> Agriculture, Food and Fisheries) produced the same negative response,
pointing
> us only to their website. Repeated attempts to speak to somebody in
authority at
> Pirbright finally located the Head of Diagnostics, John Anderson. He
informed us
> that whilst the ELISA tests were manufactured 'in-house' "..of course,
they were
> accurate."  This same pat answer is what was being delivered by the
relevant
> authorities as the accounts of HIV misdiagnosis began to surface.
>
> Anderson then  listed the other tests which are used in conjunction with
ELISA
> to supposedly confirm the presence of the virus. Unfortunately, the
confirmatory
> tests he mentioned are all equally susceptible to error. And the fact that
the
> Pirbright FMD tests are manufactured in-house excludes them from that
valuable
> check and balance system known as peer review. When pressed on these
points, Mr
> Anderson would not enter into discussion. But then extracting qualifying
> information from governmental bodies is never straightforward. Colin King,
a
> spokesman from an independent veterinary diagnostics company, stated; "The
> protocol information and detail you seek will be almost impossible to come
by.
> In peace time as well as in war, these government agencies won't really
tell you
> anything."
>
> In summarising the current FMD 'crisis', this simple extract from Abigail
Wood's
> account of the 1920's Cheshire FMD outbreak is most revealing. Trawled
from
> Cheshire local newspapers available at the Cheshire Records Office we read
> "Ministry teams were so far behind in their slaughtering that on many
farms the
> cows had recovered before the slaughterers had arrived. Farmers looked at
their
> now-normal cows in bewilderment and asked  "Was that it? Was that trivial
> illness what all the fuss was about?" (6) Until MAFF and other responsible
> agencies begin to answer these questions, and until we, the general public
cease
> to worship so unremittingly at the altar of conventional medical science,
this
> crisis (as with numerous other iatrogenic, or doctor induced crises) will
remain
> out of control and on the rampage. For it is in researching  this
situation more
> carefully, that we realise the only identifiable entities out of control
and on
> the rampage are our own ignorance of the facts and those official bodies
> conducting the current slaughter. The fact that the latest news bulletins
are
> reporting that 'expert' intervention may now have contained the crisis,
must not
> lull us into a false sense of security over their expertise. There was
nothing
> to worry about in the first place. The whole thing has been an absolute
dis-
grace.

For what it's worth, I see no risk at all in going out for a walk in the
country. And were I to hold the post of 'minister for birdfeed',  I would
not hesitate in giving permission to all chaffinch lovers to hang out those
strips of bacon... if bacon is their preference of course!

Please distribute widely.

Comments to [log in to unmask]



References.

1. UK Times, 1.3.2001

2. Australian Animal Health Information Services. www.aahc.com.au  March 5,
2001 update.

3. UK Times, ibid

4. Office International des Epizooties
http://www.oie.int/eng/info/hebdo/AIS_60.HTM#Sec2

5. A more detailed account of the problems with ELISA testing can be found
at http://www.virusmyth.net/aids/data/cjtestfp.htm  and also at
http://tomdavisbooks.com/headlines/hivdumbtest.html

6. Ms Woods is soon to be releasing her own report on FMD. Ourt of respect
for copyright, the more detailed references from these early newspapers have
been withheld. They will be published in full in Ms Wood's report.