I have recently moved in with my widower grandfather, who lives on the home place - a dairy farm. In a couple of months I’m going to visit Spain and, possibly, Morocco. I would really rather not be the source of a hoof and mouth/anthrax/mad cow disease outbreak in Central Minnesota. I also know that the chances of bringing back any diseases are remote.
My common sense is butting up against my irrantional paranoia here - should I be worried about this or am I just being weird?
I’d say there is no risk involved but to make sure you can disinfect yourself before going back home.
This link will probably be helpful.
It’s pretty easy to avoid bringing in foot and mouth disease and suchlike (insert disclaimer here; I’m not a Customs official or a vet but, through various ways and means, I’ve been talking to vets about this lately).
[ul]
[li]Don’t bring meat or untreated animal products back into the country. That means no salami, no untreated hides (buying a leather handbag is okay), no raw or cooked meat.[/li]
[li]If you go hiking through affected areas, make sure you clean your shoes thoroughly before re-entering the US. Ditto clothes.[/li][li]Don’t try and smuggle a cow in under your jacket. Especially if it’s drooling a lot - that’s one of the signs of foot and mouth disease.[/li][/ul]
Really, it’s pretty basic: don’t bring in anything that Customs says you can’t.