How childs diary saw epidemic…
How childs diary saw epidemic…
Warks farmers Sue and Andrew Burgess recently
discovered their daughter, six-year-old Louise, was
keeping a diary about foot-and-mouth. Written at the
height of the epidemic, this sample shows how the
crisis is preying on childrens minds
"ONE day foot-and-mouth started. We do not like it. We see lots of smoke coming, foot-and-mouth is spreading every second. Pigs, cows, sheep and goats and lots more animals can get foot-and-mouth. Foot-and-mouth has spread to near Flore and thats the nearest place to us. It is spreading fast, the foot-and-mouth is getting nearer.
Smoke is not good for the world. Animals that cant get foot-and-mouth can carry it, humans can carry it as well. Everybody wants it to stop. Lots of animals are getting killed. Our farm hasnt got foot-and-mouth yet but no-one knows if we will get it. Everyone is really sad especially the people whose animals have the disease.
The good news today is that so far, there have been no new cases. Lots of farms have got disinfectant on their farm and straw with disinfectant on it. If that is enough, they are very lucky. Not many people have had any luck. The Prime Minister visited the infected areas. Lots of farmers are losing their jobs because of foot-and-mouth. It is hard for farmers who have got foot-and-mouth disease and got children. Foot-and-mouth might go on until December but no-one knows. Most farmers are not going anywhere unless they have to. Some of the days of foot-and-mouth havent been very nice because of the weather. We still havent got foot-and-mouth but that doesnt mean we wont get it. Lots of people have been praying for the farmers. We must all ask God to stop this disease."
"Everyone is really sad," says Louise.