Budapest: Hungary proposed on Thursday a “biological attack” as a possible source of the country’s first foot disease in more than half a century, which has caused border and mass slaughter of cattle in the northwest.
Hungary reported a first case of foot illness over over 50 years on a bovine farm in the northwest near the border with Austria and Slovakia last month, the World Animal Health Organization said, citing the Hungarian authorities.
Thousands of cattle had to be pounded as the country trying to try to contain the epidemic, while Austria and Slovakia have closed dozens of border crossings, as it also appeared in the southern part of Slovakia.
“At this stage, we can say that it cannot be ruled out that the virus was not of natural origin, we may deal with an artificial mechanical virus,” said Prime Minister Viktor Orban staff, said Gergely Gulyas.
Answering a question, Gulyas said he could not exclude that the virus epidemic was the result of a biological attack, without providing information on who might be responsible.
He also said that the suspicion was based on verbal information obtained from a foreign laboratory and that their findings have not yet been fully and documented.
Hungary’s cattle stock numbered 861,000 chiefs based on an animal census in December, slightly changed from levels one year before. This was 1.2% of the European Union’s total bovine reserves, they showed official statistics.
Foot disease does not cause human risk, but it causes fever and blisters in the mouth in ruminants with errors, such as cattle, pigs, sheep and goats, and outbreaks often lead to commercial restrictions.
Gulyas told reporters that no new epidemic had been identified and authorities were constantly receiving samples.
a href=”https://www.geo.tv/latest/599381-hungary-suggests-possible-biological-attack-linked-to-foot-and-mouth-outbreak”>Source link
