"Foot-and-mouth disease. All livestock farmers must take heed of the authorities' instructions," Viktor Orban warned on his social media page. The Hungarian prime minister visited a cattle farm in Kisbajcs, in Gyor-Moson-Sopron county, in western Hungary, where the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus was identified.
This is an extremely infectious viral disease that primarily affects cloven-hoofed animals, such as cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats. The main symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, excessive salivation, and the appearance of blisters in the mouth and on the feet.
Although it very rarely spreads to humans, it transmits quickly and easily among livestock, leading to severe economic consequences.
Infected animals cannot be treated, so if the disease is confirmed in even one animal on a farm, all cloven-hoofed livestock must be culled. The national chief veterinary officer has ordered immediate regulatory measures to prevent the spread of this economically devastating disease, which has reappeared in Hungary after more than fifty years.
The characteristic symptoms of this highly contagious disease were detected at a farm housing 1,400 cattle. The presence of the pathogen was confirmed by the laboratory of Nebih, prompting national chief veterinary officer Szabolcs Pasztor to immediately order the closure of the farm and the launch of an epidemiological investigation.
To prevent the further spread of the disease, extremely strict regulatory measures will be implemented, including a ban on the transport of susceptible live animal species and their products.
