Farmers must be diligent, checking their animals at least twice a day for signs of the disease. That is the warning of veterinary experts who say sheep must be very carefully checked as they do not readily exhibit symptoms caused by the current strain of the virus - making diagnosis difficult.
The broader social dimension of the disease needs also to be stressed, according to Prof Dan Collins, of UCD's veterinary school. While most people are getting the Government's point on precautions needed, there are "one or two people who don't take it seriously - and we are only as strong as our weakest link", he warns.
"The first thing people must realise is that the disease is here in Ireland, where everyone is a potential carrier," he explains. People must have an awareness of the vulnerability of sheep and cattle. And awareness and vigilance must be maintained for the next "two, three, four months".
The necessary control and preventive measures are in place but they need to be reinforced, said Mr Sean O Laoide of Veterinary Ireland, which represents veterinary bodies in the State.
Prof Collins says farmers must be brave enough to call in vets if they have a suspected case, and they must not be afraid to ask vets for second and third opinions. "People must take Government advice seriously." The primary method of virus transfer is through contact with infected animals. It can also be transmitted through the air and can survive, unless disinfected, on vehicles and on boots and clothes.
Experts say farmers must be very wary about movement between farms, as many farms are fragmented. While animal movement is only allowed under licence, farmers often travel from one of their fields to another without the necessary disinfection procedures.
This has contributed to the virus's spread in the UK, says Dr Bob Ward of Liverpool University's veterinary school. Farmers moving from farm to farm, or around scattered fields on their own farms, appear to have spread the disease in Anglesey, north Wales, which has had a cluster of outbreaks.
He says farmers often travel on the same small roads. Vehicles with mud on the wheels are often spreading the virus "over a wide geographical area".
Prof Collins stressed the "uncontrolled area around the Border", which is difficult to control. The potential for airborne spread of the virus, especially with the easterly winds for the past four days, is very real.
From his experience of epidemiology studies, Prof Collins said preventive measures "should go to the extreme early on" and this was the philosophy of the Government.
A veterinary researcher who is familiar with the disease said farmers could gather their animals inside, in a lambing shed, for example. This would make monitoring easier and help stop animal to animal virus transfer. He acknowledged some farmers may not have the resources to take this action.