Hungary Battles Historic Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreak

Hungary, facing its first foot-and-mouth outbreak in over 50 years, deploys soldiers and enhances disinfection measures. The disease has spread to several farms, affecting 3,500 cattle in Gyor-Moson-Sopron county. Neighboring Slovakia also reports cases, prompting heightened containment efforts in both countries.

In a bid to curb a decades-unseen outbreak, Hungary has deployed soldiers and rolled out new disinfection protocols to combat foot-and-mouth disease in its northwest, bordering Slovakia and Austria, the agriculture minister announced on Wednesday.

The disease, detected on a Hungarian cattle farm for the first time in over five decades, poses a serious threat primarily by disrupting trade, a scenario currently unfolding with fresh cases emerging in Slovakia since March.

In Hungary, the agriculture minister, Istvan Nagy, reported the disease at two more farms in Gyor-Moson-Sopron county, impacting 3,500 cattle. As the government intensifies preventative efforts, additional border disinfection points are being set up to halt the spread to other areas.

(With inputs from agencies.)