Hungary's National Food Chain Safety Office, along with local authorities, have completed testing contact farms affected by the March 7 foot-and-mouth outbreak, confirming negative results at all locations. Based on the epidemiological analysis, National Chief Veterinary Officer Szabolcs Pásztor has lifted further restrictions. With the exception of the limited area around the Kisbajcsi outbreak, domestic movement of pigs, cattle, sheep and goats, as well as their immediate transport for slaughter, has resumed.

The country's first case in more than 50 years, FMD was detected on a cattle farm in Kisbajcs, near the Slovakian border. According to authorities, the 1,400 head of cattle showed classic FMD symptoms at the beginning of March. The presence of the pathogen was then confirmed by the Nébih laboratory.

A severe, fast-spreading viral disease that primarily affects cloven-hoofed animals, including cows, pigs, sheep, goats and deer, FMD is one of the most economically devastating and challenging animal diseases to control. Symptoms include fever, blisters on the feet and mouth, loss of appetite, drooling and lameness. Most herds affected are culled, as in the case of the 2001 UK FMD outbreak and the loss of more than 10 million animals.

Following the outbreak, a total of 45 contact farms were examined by experts from the county government office and the Nébih. More than 4,900 samples were taken during the process.

Based on the favorable epidemiological situation, Pásztor has decided to lift the following restrictions: 

• Animals susceptible to immediate slaughter can be transported outside the territory of Győr-Moson-Sopron County, but movement can only take place within the county.

• Domestic and European Union restrictions imposed in the counties of Baranya, Fejér, Komárom-Esztergom, Pest, Somogy, Tolna, Vas, Veszprém and Zala will be lifted.

• The transport of susceptible animal species to other member states, with the exception of Győr-Moson-Sopron County, is permitted from the rest of the country from March 18 on.

It is still prohibited to transport susceptible animals from Győr-Moson-Sopron County to third countries and European Union member states.

In January, Germany reported its first FMD case in nearly 40 years. The virus was detected in a herd of water buffalo in Brandenburg on Jan. 10. Since then authorities have not detected any further cases in livestock or zoo and wild animals.

FMD was eradicated from the United States in 1929. Prior to the outbreak in Germany, Europe hasn't had a positive case since Bulgaria in 2011.

However, FMD remains endemic in Turkey, the Middle East and Africa, many Asian countries and parts of South America. Last week South Korea reported its first FMD outbreak, after nearly two years.

Source - https://www.nationalhogfarmer.com