Abstract
Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) is one of the most important animal
diseases hindering livestock production in Thailand. In this study, a
temporal and spatial analysis at the subdistrict level was performed on
FMD outbreak reports in Thailand from 2011 to 2018. Risk factors
associated with FMD outbreaks were investigated using generalised
estimating equations. The results showed that the incidence of FMD
outbreaks was the highest in 2016 and was affected by season, with a
peak in FMD outbreaks occurring in the rainy-winter season. The
occurrences of FMD were mostly distributed as a number of small clusters
within a few subdistricts. Some high-risk areas with repetitive
outbreaks were detected in the central regions. Risk factors
significantly associated with FMD outbreaks included the size of the
dairy, beef, and pig populations in each subdistrict, the distance to
the nearest subdistrict with an outbreak, the percentage of forest area,
international border contact, the presence of a livestock market, and
the occurrence of an FMD outbreak in a neighbouring subdistrict in the
previous month. This study helped to identify high-risk areas and
periods of FMD outbreaks in Thailand. Together with the identified risk
factors, its results can be used to optimise the FMD control program in
Thailand and in other countries having a similar livestock industry and
FMD situation.