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Foot-and-Mouth Disease
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Status: 14.01.2025
Foot-and-mouth disease has broken out in Brandenburg; the veterinary office requests increased vigilance in cloven-hoofed animal herds.
In the Brandenburg district of Märkisch-Oderland, the highly contagious viral disease "Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD)" for cloven-hoofed animals (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, camelids, and buffalo), as well as for zoo and wild animals, was detected on Friday, January 10, 2025. A herd of water buffalo is affected. The state of Brandenburg has implemented necessary containment and protection measures. In North Rhine-Westphalia, there is currently no suspicion or outbreak of the disease. FMD is harmless to humans.
This notifiable animal disease is highly contagious, causes significant animal suffering, and results in major economic losses for animal owners. It is transmitted either from animal to animal or indirectly, e.g., via clothing, objects, food waste, or contaminated feed. Therefore, all cloven-hoofed animal owners should review and strictly adhere to their biosecurity measures.
Owners of cloven-hoofed animals who notice typical symptoms of illness such as fever, excessive salivation, reddened oral mucosa, or blisters on the inner surface of the lips, gumline, hooves, and teats should immediately contact the veterinary office to clarify the cause of the symptoms. Since the symptoms of FMD are similar to those of bluetongue disease, appropriate laboratory diagnostic clarification must also be carried out in these suspected cases.
Wild animals such as red deer, roe deer, or fallow deer can also contract the highly infectious foot-and-mouth disease. Hunters should therefore refrain from participating in hunts in the affected epidemic area and adjacent regions to prevent the spread of the virus to North Rhine-Westphalia through this route.
With the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, Germany has lost its FMD-free status. This means that the export of animal products will be more difficult. Individual third countries have already imposed bans.
Dr. Wehrle
Dr. Michaelis
