On 10 January 2025, the German veterinary authority reported, through the EU Animal Disease Information System (ADIS), an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in a water buffalo holding, in the municipality of Hoppegarten in the Federal State of Brandenburg. World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) also took note of the rapid official notification by Germany of an outbreak of FMD in Germany. This is the first occurrence of FMD in Germany since 1988.
The disease was suspected on 9 January 2025 due to the death of 3 animals (out of a total of 14 animals kept outdoors) and laboratory testing confirmed the presence of the FMD virus.
Germany has introduced measures to prevent the spread and eradicate FMD. FMD is a particularly dangerous infectious disease categorized as Category A and, when FMD is confirmed, strict and rigorous control measures are applied to prevent further spread, which include the obligation to kill and harmlessly remove all remaining susceptible animals on the affected establishment (farm, space), the establishment of a protection zone and a surveillance zone, a ban on the movement of live animals and products of animal origin, and other measures.
The Western Balkan countries have Contingency Plans in place in the event of a FMD outbreak.
The FMD virus spreads easily but is not considered a public health problem, i.e. the disease is not dangerous to humans.
Further reading: https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-event/6177/dashboard
