World round-up: Infection prevention

Travellers face additional airport checks

The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Britain and France has prompted countries around the world to introduce strict measures aimed at halting the disease at their borders.

Here is a round-up of some of the steps being taken.

United States and Canada

Travellers entering the United States who have visited the British countryside must have their shoes disinfected.

Footwear is being subjected to particular scrutiny

In addition, all livestock, fresh meat and dairy produce from all 15 EU member states has been banned, provoking an outcry from the 13 European countries where the disease has not been detected.

Canada has applied similar bans, but has extended its measures to include used farm equipment from the EU.

Morocco, Hungary, Slovakia and Tunisia

These countries have imposed some of the severest measures, banning EU grain in addition to livestock and animal products.

EU Food Safety Commissioner David Byrne described such restrictions as "unnecessary and excessive".

Australia and New Zealand

Australia has imposed a blanket ban on all EU livestock, meat and dairy products in addition to measures prohibiting the import of horses from the UK and Ireland.

On the menu: Meat sales have soared by 20%

Meanwhile, the country's burgeoning Kangaroo export industry has received a boost, with demand soaring, particularly in foreign markets such as Belgium, Germany and Denmark.

New Zealand introduced similar precautions following the confirmation of the outbreak in France.

Japan

Japan currently bans livestock imports from Britain, Northern Ireland, Argentina, South Korea and China, but has now added France to this list.

It suffered its first recorded foot-and-mouth outbreak in March last year on three farms in the south.

In May, about 700 cows suspected of being infected were slaughtered at a farm on Japan's main island of Hokkaido.

South Korea and Hong Kong

South Korea has added pigs to a list of EU livestock banned in February in an effort to halt the spread of BSE.

And while foot-and-mouth is endemic in the region, Hong Kong has banned the import of French pigs, cattle, sheep and goats to prevent new strains of the virus spreading.

Singapore and Malaysia

Malaysia has already banned beef and beef products from EU countries, Brazil and Thailand because of fears over mad cow disease.

Singapore has stopped importing meat and dairy products from France and Argentina - the scene of a separate foot-and-mouth outbreak.