Which is an example of a transboundary disease that is reportable?

Which is an example of a transboundary disease that is reportable?

• A. Foot and Mouth Disease
• B. Rabies
• C. Malaria
• D. Scrapie

Answer: (A)

Transboundary diseases are those that can spread quickly across borders and cause widespread disruption to animal health and trade, so they must be reported promptly to authorities and international bodies. Foot-and-mouth disease is a prime example because it spreads rapidly among cloven-hoofed animals through aerosols, direct contact, contaminated equipment, vehicles, and animal movements across countries. Its visibility and potential to cripple livestock industries mean that suspected or confirmed cases are reported immediately, enabling swift containment measures like movement controls, tracing, quarantine, disinfection, and sometimes vaccination. This combination of high contagiousness, cross-border risk, and major economic impact is what makes foot-and-mouth disease a classic transboundary, notifiable disease. The other options don’t fit this specific pattern as neatly: malaria is a human disease, scrapie spreads slowly and within herds rather than across borders quickly, and while rabies is serious and reportable, it isn’t the quintessential rapid cross-border animal-disease threat used to illustrate transboundary reporting.

Transboundary diseases are those that can spread quickly across borders and cause widespread disruption to animal health and trade, so they must be reported promptly to authorities and international bodies. Foot-and-mouth disease is a prime example because it spreads rapidly among cloven-hoofed animals through aerosols, direct contact, contaminated equipment, vehicles, and animal movements across countries. Its visibility and potential to cripple livestock industries mean that suspected or confirmed cases are reported immediately, enabling swift containment measures like movement controls, tracing, quarantine, disinfection, and sometimes vaccination. This combination of high contagiousness, cross-border risk, and major economic impact is what makes foot-and-mouth disease a classic transboundary, notifiable disease. The other options don’t fit this specific pattern as neatly: malaria is a human disease, scrapie spreads slowly and within herds rather than across borders quickly, and while rabies is serious and reportable, it isn’t the quintessential rapid cross-border animal-disease threat used to illustrate transboundary reporting.