Contexts and Culling (John Law, Ingunn Moser) “Epidemiology in Foot & Mouth disease”

The text 'Contexts and Culling' by John Law, Ingunn Moser questions how contexts in science and social science are made and how their making is related to political agendas and interventions. While dealing with the Foot and Mouth Disease in the UK in 2001, a highly infectious viral condition that affects cows, sheep and pigs (also buffalos, goats, antelopes, deer and bison) one gains interesting insights into agricultural views. The infection reduces productivity and therefore creates substantial economic implications. It also deals with epidemiology (the multidisciplinary study of the distribution and determinants of disease in populations, from molecular level through field studies to modelling). Ultimately the role of epidemiology is to turn data into information that creates political decisions and actions.