When students start packing for their study-abroad trips, they may want to include some disinfectant.

Foot-and-mouth disease, a problem in areas in Europe, South America and Africa, is a highly contagious virus that causes fever and blister-like lesions on the mouth, teats and between the hooves of cattle, swine, sheep and goats.

The disease can be spread by animals, people or materials that have come into physical contact with susceptible animals. The United States has been free of the disease since 1929, but the disease has caused outbreaks in more than 34 other countries in the past year, according to a United States Department of Agriculture press release.

Student interest in study abroad has taken a dive this year, but it is impossible to tell if foot-and-mouth is the culprit, said Trevor Nelson, assistant director of International Education Services. Although no programs have been canceled, many have lost their popularity.

“Some programs that have traditionally done very well, in terms of recruiting students, have struggled more,” said Nelson, study-abroad coordinator. “Whether that’s a factor of foot-and-mouth or other things, such as a slump in economy, is difficult to say.”

Sociology 496, a course dealing with the agriculture and rural development in Ireland, has had to re-evaluate its plans for a field trip abroad. Students in the class, which includes a trip to southern Ireland, traditionally have stayed with family farmers in the region, said Paul Lasley, the course instructor. This year, they have had to make other plans for lodging, which Nelson said is a “sensible precaution.”

“I don’t think students will enjoy the program any less as a result of that,” said Lasley, professor of agricultural sociology. “[The trip] is an education opportunity to take a look at how countries actually are handling the issue of infectious disease and how one controls the spread of them.”

Even though the Republic of Ireland has not announced an outbreak of foot-and-mouth, the group will take extra precautions to ensure they are not carrying contaminated material back to the United States, he said.

“We will take the last half day [of the trip] to do laundry and to clean and disinfect,” he said. “We will also follow the regulations about where one cannot go and the precautions the government has issued about disinfecting material.”

To fill gaps in the course itinerary left by the canceled farm visits, seminars with agricultural leaders, professors and students are being planned instead.

“There are some major changes in the program,” Lasley said. “It will give [students] the same knowledge but in a different way. I think it will be a unique experience.”

It is important for students to be aware of the disease and of the precautions they need to take when bringing back items to the United States, Nelson said.

“The last thing we want to do is to have students bring contaminated clothes or material to the U.S.,” he said.

Even though foot-and-mouth outbreaks continue to decline, it still can cause risks to students traveling abroad. These risks, however, should not cause students to turn away from study-abroad opportunities, Nelson said.

“Students who are thinking of studying abroad should not be deterred because of this,” he said. “The advantages of study abroad far outweigh the minimal risks involved.”