McGrath it is a serious disease, it can cripple animals, causing their hooves to slough off and the mortality rate among young animals is high, particularly for those born of mothers that are infected. I have never seen any publications that would suggest that the disease is wind borne, if it was, Canada wouldn't have been able to isolate and eradicate it in 1952. But as in all trading nations there is also political baggage associated with it as well.

The disease has within the last few years devastated Iraq, particularly in the absence of vaccine and has spread into southern Russia and China. Ironically, Britain was one of the nations that sent vaccine to Iraq fairly recently, as humanitarian aid.