Foot-and-mouth disease on the rise: new cases reported in Slovakia and Hungary

The State Food and Veterinary Office (SVVT) informs about another outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) confirmed in Slovakia for the fourth time. The new case was reportedly detected on 279 cattle farms. The farm falls within a surveillance zone that has been declared due to previous outbreaks of FMD. The restriction zone in the Danube, Danube and Streda area will be slightly adjusted.

Veterinary officials in Slovakia are currently continuing the epidemiological investigation to identify possible contact holdings. The outbreak will soon be eradicated and the animals will have to be spared. Veterinary measures are being carried out at the site of the outbreak and within the declared restricted zones of 3 km protection and 10 km surveillance, all in accordance with the European Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687.

Hungary has also reported its second outbreak of FMD this year. The outbreak was detected in the village of Levél, on a dairy farm with around 3 000 animals, only 40 km north-west of the first FMD outbreak. The 10 km monitoring zone declared for this case extends as far as Austrian territory. Hungary reports that suppressive vaccination has been introduced and that livestock culling is already being organised to eradicate the highly contagious FMD.

The HSE urges travellers who are currently visiting EU countries that have confirmed FMD, as well as countries in Turkey, Asia and South America, where the epidemiological situation is particularly unfavourable, to take extra care to avoid contact with animals, to observe good hygiene, and to refrain from entering any place where farmed animals are kept for 14 days after their return to Lithuania.  

Livestock keepers are reminded to be responsible for biosecurity in places where cattle, sheep and goats are kept that are particularly susceptible to the disease: Newly introduced animals should be kept separately for at least 21 days if possible, control access of transport and thoroughly disinfect vehicles used to transport farm animals, avoid visitors to the animal housing areas, constantly monitor the health status of the animals kept and report as soon as possible any suspicion of contagious diseases to the VMVT or to the private veterinarian supervising the farm.

The VMA publishes detailed recommendations and regularly updated information on FMD outbreaks on its website.