Risk Assessment and Prevention of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Transmission from Laos to China

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is classified as a Class I animal disease in China and listed as one of the notifiable animal diseases by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). It significantly impacts the safe production of livestock and the trade of animals and related products. China’s Yunnan Province shares a 710 km border with Laos, with frequent cross-border trade, and the cross-border flow of animals and related products occurs from time to time. In order to prevent the introduction of FMD from the border areas of Laos into China, this study conducted an assessment of the entry, exposure, and consequences of FMD transmission. The findings revealed a “high” risk in terms of entry assessment, a “medium” risk in exposure assessment, and a “high” risk in the consequence assessment. Based on these assessments, the overall risk level for the introduction of FMD from Laos into China is determined to be “high”. Therefore, it is recommended that management measures are implemented, such as restricting animal movement across borders and strengthening inspection procedures for animals entering China, to effectively prevent FMD introduction from Laos.