Mongolia reports FMD outbreak
At least 7,681 heads of livestock of 85 herders have been infected with the deadly foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the central Mongolian province of Uvurkhangai, the provincial veterinary department said Monday, according to Xinhua news agency.
The viral infectious disease has spread in the province via livestock of herders who have returned home from the east of the country, the department said in a statement. Herders have moved their animals to the eastern parts of the country this summer due to severe drought and that's how they contacted the disease. High-risk animals are being vaccinated against the FMD to curb and prevent its spread.
So far this year, the highly contagious disease, which spreads among cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep and pigs, has broken out in more than half of Mongolia's 21 provinces, according to the country's General Authority for Veterinary Services.
The livestock sector is a main pillar of the Mongolian economy with around 70 million heads of livestock in the country with a population of some 3.4 million. The country's meat exports have been suspended since June due to infectious animal diseases, according to the Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
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