FMD (Foot and Mouth Disease) is feared among farmers. It decimates herds and severely impacts beef and milk production. Award winning producer Judith Kampfner looks at FMD control measures around the world. In Britain, she revisits an outbreak in 2001, which led to mass cattle killings. Virologist Jef Hammond, head of the FMD Reference Laboratory at the U.K.’s Institute for Animal Health lays out the risks. “The disease is the most highly infectious disease possibly of any virus ever known to man. It’s very difficult to prevent its transmission once started.” In South Korea, which has dealt with at least five outbreaks, the devastation of FMD can be seen in the anguish of farmers who have lost their livelihood. The United States has not seen an FMD outbreak in over fifty years. That is due to the vigilance of researchers on Plum Island, in New York. Run by the Department of Homeland Security, Plum Island is the only place in the U.S. where FMD is allowed to be studied. Virologist Luis Rodriguez gives us a tour of the facility and talks about the promise of vaccines that could be distributed to farms worldwide.

The Soundprint documentary series features the best work of top radio producers. The award winning documentaries are renowned for drawing the listener into the story with compelling interviews, authentic voices and rich sound. From memoirs to science, health and popular culture, Soundprint creates a powerful experience the listener will not soon forget. This program is part of a Soundprint mini-series called The World of Viruses, supported in part by the National Institutes of Health. Here are some other programs in the series:

Flu Pandemic Produced by: Lakshmi Singh

HPV — The Shy Virus Produced by: Jean Snedegar

Measles: What's at Stake Produced by: Barbara Bogaev

Mosquitoes in Iquitos Produced by: Dan Charles

Soundprint Executive Producer: Moira Rankin

Audio Engineer: Jared Weissbrot

Science Editor: Barbara Culliton

Production Assistant: Nkechi Mogekwu