Thousands of farm animals have been killed in Hungary and Slovakia after a major foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, the first in over 50 years in both countries.
The highly contagious virus was first found on a cattle farm in northwestern Hungary in early March. It later spread to several farms in Slovakia. Since then, the virus has been confirmed on three more farms in each country.
Authorities are killing animals in the area to stop the outbreak. They’re also closing borders. Nearly 3,000 bulls, cows and calves were killed in the Hungarian town of Levél alone.
Foot-and-mouth disease affects animals like cows, pigs, goats, sheep, and deer. It causes fever and painful blisters. The virus spreads quickly between animals and can travel on human clothing or vehicles.
Hungary is disinfecting affected farms and placing disinfectant mats at village entrances to stop the spread. Slovakia has closed 16 border crossings with Hungary and one with Austria. Austria, which has no reported cases, also closed 23 small crossings with Hungary and Slovakia.
The Czech Republic introduced disinfection at truck border crossings to avoid new infections. Czech authorities say restrictions can end 30 days after the last infected animal in Slovakia is killed.
Hungary’s agricultural minister said no new infections have been found this week, and cleanup will likely finish by Saturday.
A Hungarian government official suggested the outbreak might be the result of a biological attack, claiming that a lab abroad gave a verbal warning about the virus possibly being artificially made. However, no proof has been shared.
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