8.
The sensitivity of an integrated model to assess the potential for wind-borne spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) to variations
in key parameters controlling different physical and biological processes was evaluated. The estimated number of farms at
risk is sensitive to the virus strain used and the accompanying effective contact rate. The C Noville strain increased the
estimated number of exposed farms ranked as high and medium risk of being infected by a factor of 5, compared to the baseline,
based on the O UKG 2001 strain. The inclusion of a model for biological ageing of the virus can also have a significant effect
on the concentration patterns arising from transport and dispersion of the virus. Its inclusion has the practical advantage
of markedly reducing the time required for the calculations. The estimated number of farms affected by exposure to high and
medium virus concentrations is not grossly sensitive to attenuation caused by temperature or relative humidity effects. Changes
in susceptibility to infection, as determined by the parameter
θ in the exposure-risk model, does not change the configuration of the virus plumes, but it does change the distribution of
farms at risk by risk category. These findings suggest that a good understanding of characteristics (excretion rates from
infected animals, susceptibility of different species to infection, virus survival, etc.) of the virus strain involved in
an FMD outbreak is necessary to provide a reliable assessment of the risk of wind-borne spread. In the event of an incursion
of FMD, provision for laboratory studies on the virus will be an essential component of the disease response and should be
factored into contingency plans.
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