German authorities have announced the first occurrence of foot-and-mouth disease in the country in nearly 40 years, found in a herd of water buffalo near Berlin.
This disease leads to fever and mouth sores in cloven-hoofed ruminants, including cattle, swine, sheep, and goats.
Local authorities have stated that measures to contain this highly contagious disease, which is not harmful to humans but can be transmitted by them, are currently being enacted, and the infected animals have been euthanized.
A 3km exclusion zone and a 10km monitoring zone have been established, with a federal agricultural ministry spokesperson noting that no products or animals may be removed from these areas during a regular government news briefing.
Germany and the European Union are officially acknowledged as free from the disease, with the last cases reported in Germany in 1988, as mentioned by the FLI animal health research institute.
The FLI further explained that the disease frequently occurs in the Middle East and Africa, across various Asian nations, and in some regions of South America.
It warned that illegally imported animal products from these regions pose a significant risk to European agriculture.
