FMD Germany: 3 water buffaloes in Brandenburg infected
After 37 years, Germany has reported an outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) again. The virus was found in 3 dead water buffaloes on a farm in the eastern state of Brandenburg.
The outbreaks were reported by Hanka Mittelstädt, the Brandenburg minister of agriculture. All 11 other buffaloes at the location where the infection was detected will be culled.
The infections were detected on a farm in town called Hoppegarten, in the district of Märkisch-Oderland, between the German capital Berlin and the Polish border. Mittelstädt said that it is still being investigated how the animals contracted the disease.
FMD is only contagious for even-toed animals like cows, pigs and goats. Wild even-toed animals, such as deer and wild boar, are also susceptible to the virus. Animals that are infected develop blisters in the mouth, on the udder and near the legs. Animals are visibly ill. The virus can be fatal. Vaccination against FMD is possible, but a non-vaccination policy applies in Europe due to the sale of products.
The outbreak constitutes the 1st case of FMD in Germany since 1988. The country was not involved in the major outbreak in Europe in 2001. At the time, many animals had to be culled after an outbreak that had started in the United Kingdom had also spread to the Netherlands.
