Officials across Central Europe have been scrambled to outbreak the disease of the leg and mouth, due to which there is a shortage of thousands of animals and the border between Hungary, Slovakia and Austria has been closed.
In the beginning of March, outbreak was revealed at a cattle farm in North Western Hungary. Within weeks, cases were confirmed on three farms in neighboring Slovakia, as reported by news agency AP. Additional infection has since been reported to three more fields in both Hungary and Slovakia – marking the first known outbreak of the disease in any country over 50 years.
Handor Szoboszalai, a local entrepreneur and Hunter Hungerian city of Hunter – where around 3,000 cattle were closed – was described that outbreak describes the chaos. “Everything is completely reverse,” Szoboszlai told the Associated Press. “We didn’t even think that this could happen. Who can trust him?
Foot-end-mouth disease is a highly infectious viral disease that mainly affects the cloth-hoved animals including cattle, boar, goats, sheep and deer. Although it causes slight risk to humans, the disease can spread rapidly through contact, contaminated surfaces, or even air.
In Hungary, disinfection operations are going on, with authorities with the entrances of the affected cities in an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus and the chemical-lath matt on the exit. However, many mats have proved ineffective, drying up quickly or passing the vehicles and swept away, AP saw.
The Slovacian government has responded to closing 16 of its border crossing with Hungary and citing inadequate control efforts by Hungary officials. Austria, who has not reported any infection, closed 23 crossings with Hungary and Slovakia last week.
The Czech Republic, while further removed from the sub -center of outbreak, has installed disinfection protocols from across all five major border for freight trucks entering the country.
Jiri Serney, an associate professor at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, told AP that the disease is most likely to spread through contaminated human commodities – including vehicle tires, shoes and food.
Czech Agriculture Minister Mark Viborne said the border ban could be lifted 30 days after the final infected animal in Slovakia was closed.
In Hungary, no new infection has been confirmed this week. Agriculture Minister Istavan Negi told reporters on Friday that efforts to disinfect on the final infected sites are expected to be completed by Saturday.
Earlier in the week, Galas, head of employees of Hungary’s officially officially Prime Minister Victor Orban, expressed concern that the outbreak may be due to “an artificially produced virus”, which suggests a potential “biological attack.” Gulyás did not provide evidence for this claim, which he said that a foreign laboratory analysis was based on early oral assessment from samples.
The Hungarian government has promised to support the affected farmers along with financial assistance, which includes postponement on loan payment and compensation for lost livestock.
Level resident, szoboszlai, became emotional while discussing the impact on a local farmer, whose entire herd was closed. “I am very sorry for him, because it is the work of his life,” he said. “It will be very difficult to start.”
