Hungary is facing a serious outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, the first in over 50 years. This situation has raised alarm bells, especially after a Hungarian official suggested that the outbreak might be linked to a "biological attack."
The World Organisation for Animal Health reported that the outbreak started last month on a cattle farm in northwest Hungary. Since then, thousands of cattle have been slaughtered to prevent the disease from spreading. Nearby countries, including Austria and Slovakia, have responded by closing multiple border crossings to contain the situation.
Gergely Gulyas, the chief of staff for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, spoke to reporters about the outbreak. He mentioned that authorities are considering all possibilities for the outbreak’s cause, including the chance that it could be the result of an engineered virus. He noted that this suspicion is based on preliminary information from a foreign laboratory, although this has not yet been confirmed.
Foot-and-mouth disease is a viral infection that affects cloven-hoofed animals like cattle, sheep, and goats. While it poses no danger to humans, it can cause severe symptoms in animals and often leads to trade restrictions, impacting farmers and the economy.
Reports indicate that the first signs of the disease appeared in mid-March, with more than 3,500 cattle already culled in the northern Gyor-Moson-Sopron county. Following the outbreak, cases were also reported on five farms in southern Slovakia, prompting the Slovak government to declare a state of emergency.
To combat the outbreak, Hungary has deployed soldiers to assist with disinfection efforts, especially in border areas. In response to the growing concern, Austria has closed 21 border crossings into Hungary and two into Slovakia.
As the situation develops, authorities are on high alert, monitoring for any further outbreaks while investigating the origins of the virus.