Germany reports FMD outbreak
The National Reference Laboratory for Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) of the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI) has confirmed an infection with the FMD virus in a water buffalo in Märkisch-Oderland, Brandenburg.
The local authorities have taken control and protection measures. Further tests are being carried out at the FLI to determine the exact nature of the virus. An FLI team is supporting the outbreak investigation on the ground. FMD is a purely animal disease and cannot be transmitted to humans, i.e. it is not a zoonosis.
FMD is a highly contagious viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals (cattle, sheep, goats and pigs). Many zoo and wild animals can also contract FMD. There are very strict international rules for the prevention and control of FMD. There is no treatment for infected animals. If even one animal on a farm is infected, all ungulates must be killed and destroyed.
The last outbreak of FMD in Germany was in Lower Saxony in 1988. The last outbreak in Europe was reported in Bulgaria in 2011. Prior to that, the United Kingdom was hit by a major FMD outbreak in 2001, followed by France, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The FMD virus remains endemic in Turkey, the Middle East and Africa, many Asian countries and parts of South America. Illegally imported animal products from these countries pose a constant threat to European agriculture.
Read full article Share on X