The 2001 epidemic of foot and mouth disease in the United Kingdom did not have a significant impact on:

• A. Humans becoming infected
• B. Animal welfare
• C. The economy
• D. Human travel

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is that foot-and-mouth disease is an animal disease with very limited impact on human health. The virus mainly spreads among livestock, and human infections are rare, with no sustained human-to-human transmission and only minimal illness when it does occur. The major consequences of the 2001 UK outbreak were to animals—mass culling to contain the spread and widespread animal welfare concerns—and to the economy—huge losses from farm closures, compensation schemes, and long-lasting trade restrictions on livestock and products. Travel and movement were disrupted, especially around affected areas to prevent spread of the virus, but these disruptions centered on controlling the animal disease and did not represent a significant health burden for people. So, the option reflecting no significant impact is the occurrence of infection in humans.