Summary: Guinea has reported an outbreak
of FMD to the OIE. The FMD virus subtype was not reported. The
disease was detected in cattle that had seasonally moved into Guinea from an
unspecified neighboring country. The US imported very small amounts of
goat skins and wool from Guinea in 1997 and 1998. FMD virus can survive
in skins and wool for weeks, depending on processing or storage conditions. The
risk to the US, although not zero, is minimal at this time, since numbers of
tourists and potentially relevant imports are small.
How extensive is the situation in the affected country and what was the country's disease status prior to the outbreak?
According to the OIE report of April 23, 1999, an
outbreak of FMD has occurred in eastern Guinea. The disease was initially
detected in March 1999 in a herd of 300 cattle that had seasonally moved
into Guinea from an unspecified neighboring country. West Africa, including
Guinea, is endemic for FMD.1 However, Guinea has never officially
reported FMD to the OIE prior to this outbreak, which may reflect the level
of veterinary services in Guinea rather than the FMD disease situation.
Among neighboring countries, Senegal, Mali, and the Ivory Coast all reported
FMD to OIE in 1996 and 1997. There were no new OIE reports from these
countries in 1998 or 1999. Guinea's other neighbors, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra
Leone, and Liberia have not reported FMD to OIE in this decade. Source:
OIE Disease Information Report.
What is the country's place in the international market for affected animals and animal products?
Guinea's live animal stocks of cattle, goats and sheep represent less than 0.5% of world stocks of these animals. Guinea's production of beef, goat, mutton and pig meat represents less than 0.1% of world production. Though Guinea is a net exporter of live cattle, goats and sheep, the number of live animal exports are minimal by world standards (less than 0.05%). Guinea does not export any meat or dairy products.
Source: United Nations FAO
What is the country's production and trade in affected animals and animal products?
Guinea's relevant live animal stocks and meat production
for 1998 are listed in the table below. In terms of livestock numbers, cattle
are the predominant livestock species.
Guinea, Live Animal Stocks and Meat Production for 1998
| Cattle | 2,200,000 | 0.17% |
| Goats | 738,000 | 0.11% |
| Sheep | 610,000 | 0.06% |
| Pigs | 44,500 | < 0.01% |
| Beef and Veal | 15,260 | 0.03% |
| Goat | 3,120 | 0.09% |
| Mutton and Lamb | 1,632 | 0.02% |
| Pigmeat | 1,662 | <0.01% |
Guinea, Live Animal and Animal Product Imports and Exports, 1998
| Cattle | 15,000 | 0.16% | 0 | 0 |
| Goats | 15,000 | 0.53% | 8,000 | 0.25% |
| Sheep | 20,000 | 0.11% | 10,000 | |
| Beef and Veal | 0 | 0 | 1495 | 0.06% |
| Butter | 0 | 0 | 110 | 0.01% |
| Cheese and Curd | 0 | 0 | 110 | <0.01% |
What are the U.S. imports of affected animals or animal products from the country?
The only potentially relevant products imported from Guinea
were 150 and 622 goat skins in 1997 and 1998, respectively, and 210 square
meters of wool fabric in 1997. FMD virus survival in skins and wool depends
upon processing and storage conditions. The virus has been shown to survive
in skins up to 352 days, and in wool for 20 days.
Source: World Trade Atlas; Foot and Mouth Disease: Sources of Outbreaks
and Hazard Categorization of Modes of Virus Transmission, CEI, December 1994.
What is the level of passenger traffic arriving in
the United States from the affected country?
The World Tourism Organization reported 2,108 tourists arriving in the U.S.
from Guinea in 1996.
The Agricultural Quarantine Inspection Monitoring Program conducted by USDA, APHIS, PPQ found 1 of the 14 (7%) sampled airline passengers arriving in the U.S. from Guinea for FY1998 to be carrying an animal product. This passenger was carrying 1 kg. of beef and the destination in the U.S. for this passenger was Massachusetts. None of the 14 sampled passengers reported plans to visit or work on a farm or ranch while in the U.S. Because these passengers were questioned after they had cleared inspections, these numbers are an indication of the amount of restricted agricultural products of interest illegally entering the U.S. via airline passengers.
Source: World Tourism Organization; USDA,APHIS,PPQ
CEI's interpretation:
The risk to the US from this outbreak of FMD in Guinea is minimal at this time. Control measures including quarantine and movement control have been applied in the country. The number of travelers from Guinea to the US is very small. The US has not imported any live animals from Guinea, although the US did import small amounts of goat skins and wool fabric.
CEI's plans for follow up:
There are no plans for additional follow-up information.
If you seek more information or wish to comment on this worksheet, please contact Judy Akkina at (970) 490-7852 or Chris Kopral at (970) 490-7819.
Prepared by: Center for Emerging Issues, Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health