The 2001 foot and mouth disease epidemic caused widespread distress, feelings of bereavement, and loss of trust across diverse rural groups well beyond the farming community over 18 months.
Observational (n=72)
What are the psychosocial effects of the 2001 UK foot and mouth disease epidemic in a rural population?
The 2001 foot and mouth disease epidemic had profound and long-lasting psychosocial impacts on a wide spectrum of the rural population, extending beyond the farming community.
OBJECTIVES: To understand the health and social consequences of the 2001 foot and mouth disease epidemic for a rural population. DESIGN: Longitudinal qualitative analysis. SETTING: North Cumbria, the worst affected area in Britain. SAMPLE: Purposive sample of 54 respondents divided in six demographically balanced rural occupational and population groups. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: 3071 weekly diaries contributed over 18 months; 72 semistructured interviews (with the 54 diarists and 18 others); 12 group discussions with diarists RESULTS: The disease epidemic was a human tragedy, not just an animal one. Respondents' reports showed that life after the foot and mouth disease epidemic was accompanied by distress, feelings of bereavement, fear of a new disaster, loss of trust in authority and systems of control, and the undermining of the value of local knowledge. Distress was experienced across diverse groups well beyond the farming community. Many of these effects continued to feature in the diaries throughout the 18 month period. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a rural citizens' panel allowed data capture from a wide spectrum of the rural population and showed that a greater number of workers and residents had traumatic experiences than has previously been reported. Recommendations for future disaster management include joint service reviews of what counts as a disaster, regular NHS and voluntary sector sharing of intelligence, debriefing and peer support for front line workers, increased community involvement in disposal site or disaster management, and wider, more flexible access to regeneration funding and rural health outreach work.
Mort et al. (Fri,) conducted a observational in Psychosocial effects of foot and mouth disease epidemic (n=72). 2001 UK foot and mouth disease epidemic was evaluated on Health and social consequences (distress, feelings of bereavement, fear, loss of trust). The 2001 foot and mouth disease epidemic caused widespread distress, feelings of bereavement, and loss of trust across diverse rural groups well beyond the farming community over 18 months.