Four more suspected cases of foot-and-mouth disease in humans are being investigated while 15 people have now been given the all-clear, health officials said yesterday.
A spokesman for the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) said four new samples had been received for testing since Saturday. But tests on 15 people suspected of having foot-and-mouth have proved negative.
The disease is extremely rare in humans and is not serious, with mild, flu-like symptoms and blisters on the mouth.
A flood of people contacted the PHLS last week after it emerged that farm machinery worker Paul Stamper had developed symptoms of the disease.
He was showered with fluids from a dead cow which exploded near him as he helped in the cull of infected cattle.
