WASHINGTON (AP) - Government inspectors have stepped up their scrutiny of travelers arriving from Britain - and even disinfecting the boots and shoes of some passengers - in an effort to prevent foot-and-mouth disease from reaching the United States.

The Agriculture Department issued an alert to its airport inspectors Feb. 21, after an outbreak started in Britain, and also banned the import of any British meat products.

``We're working very closely with our European counterparts to understand the issue in Europe, and we're taking the appropriate steps to keep our country free of foot-and-mouth disease,'' USDA spokesman Kevin Herglotz said Friday.

The disease isn't harmful to people but it can sicken any cloven-hoofed animal, and the virus can be spread quickly by anything that moves, including people. In Britain, farmers have been advised not to visit each other and instead talk on the telephone.

So far, foot-and-mouth disease has been confirmed at 40 locations across Britain, and more than 2,000 animals have been destroyed.

The last known outbreak in the United States was in 1929. USDA says the consequences of an unchecked U.S. epidemic would be massive, billions of dollars in the first year alone.

During the winter, the virus can survive in manure for up to six months, said William Hueston, an animal epidemiologist with the University of Maryland. So it's critical that travelers who have been on farms or around livestock in Britain have their footwear disinfected, he said.

The virus ``spreads fast, it affects a number of species, cows, pigs, sheep, goats and some wildlife, including deer, and you have to contain it very quickly,'' Hueston said.

``The importance of our airport surveillance is immense,'' he added.

Airline passengers routinely fill out forms asking whether they are carrying agricultural products or have visited a farm. Travelers who acknowledge being on a farm in Britain must have their footwear disinfected before they are allowed to leave the airport, USDA officials. Their luggage will also is inspected.

Travelers who have been around livestock in Britain are advised to stay way from U.S. livestock for at least five days.

So far, the extra scrutiny does not extend to travelers arriving from Ireland. However, an outbreak was recently reported along its border with Northern Ireland.

USDA surveyed travelers arriving from Britain in 1999 and found that 2.3 percent were carrying meat products, cheese or animal hides. Just 22 of the 20,000 passengers who were surveyed reported plans to visit a farm or ranch in the United States.

The department has sent a team of its veterinarians to Britain to monitor the outbreak and assist in controlling it, Herglotz said.

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