May 24, 2005

Another outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in China

A new outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease has been reported in China's Yanqing district, a major dairy production area, and thousands of dairy cattle have since been culled.

This outbreak comes amid the furore caused by the outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain in migratory birds that has placed China on high alert. Villagers from the cordoned Yanqing district say the disease has been rampant within the entire area and many cows have died.

Foot-and-mouth disease can not spread to humans but can cause huge economic losses for the livestock industry.