Should it hit our farms, the cost of eradication would almost certainly be immense. As a comparison, a relatively minor outbreak in the UK in 2001 cost that country the equivalent of $19 billion.

It should be noted that the foot and mouth scare comes just weeks after the devastating bee parasite varroa destructor made it past an array of "sentinel hives" set up around the Port of Newcastle (as well as other ports) to help keep Australia one of the few places to remain varroa-free.

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In a similar fashion, our strict quarantine practices have kept us free of foot and mouth for 150 years.

Keeping these and other pests at bay requires constant vigilance.

Foot and mouth is a very low-level threat to humans.

It is unrelated to the similarly named childhood virus, hand, foot and mouth disease.

Infected animals suffer fever followed by blistering lesions in their mouths and on their feet.

Carriers often lose condition, and the virus is highly contagious amongst cows, sheep, pigs, goats and other cloven-hoof animals.

Vaccination against this "picornavirus" is possible, but the traditional method of control remains heartbreaking and expensive mass slaughter.

That was the case when Australia's last, and worst, outbreak was contained at Werribee, Victoria, in 1872, after eight infected cattle were shipped from Britain.

The authorities are right in saying there is no reason to panic, or to stop eating Australian meat.

At the same time, those returning from Indonesia - or anywhere else that foot and mouth is active - can help by surrendering their shoes at the airport or cleaning them thoroughly before packing.

This is imperative for those who have been on farms or in contact with animals.

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Declaring these risk factors on return will help official disease control measures, starting with disinfectant mats, being implemented at airports.

Among its many legacies, COVID has forced us all to take responsibility for our own biosecurity, and that of those around us.

Approaching foot and mouth with corresponding care will help protect our farmers, their herds and flocks, and the economy.

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