Foot and mouth disease detected in water buffaloes in Germany

Foot-and-mouth disease, which has not been seen in Germany and the EU since 1988, has been reported in Brandenburg, leading to the death of three water buffaloes. The disease, which does not affect humans but causes blisters in the mouth and on the hooves of affected animals, has prompted the culling and disposal of all livestock on the affected farm. The source of the infection is being investigated by health authorities. The disease can spread quickly among animals and through contact with contaminated surfaces. Recovery usually takes 2-3 weeks, but to prevent an epidemic, infected animals are usually slaughtered.

The disease known as foot-and-mouth disease has been reported for the first time in years. According to press reports, three water buffaloes have died in the state of Brandenburg, which was announced by state agriculture minister Hanka Mittelstädt on Friday morning. The Friedrich-Loeffler Institute has confirmed without any doubt that the three dead water buffaloes have foot-and-mouth disease. According to the institute, Germany and the European Union have been considered free of the foot-and-mouth disease virus in recent years, as the last cases occurred in 1988. The foot-and-mouth disease virus is harmless to humans. In the Märkisch-Oderland district, experts from the Friedrich-Loeffler Institute and the Brandenburg animal health service are investigating the cause of the disease. The entire livestock on the affected farm is currently being professionally killed and disposed of. Foot-and-mouth disease (aphtae epizooticae) is a highly contagious, sometimes fatal disease of ...