January 17, 2006

China sees two new FMD cases

Two outbreaks of FMD have been reported in China since early January.

On Jan 11, 20 cows on a farm in eastern China's Jiangsu province showed symptoms of the FMD, which was later confirmed by the national lab as an outbreak of the Asian type 1 FMD.

Earlier on Jan 4, China reported two FMD cases in a farm in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, according to the country's Ministry of Agriculture. Xuanhe town in Ningxia reported that one of the two cattle died the next day. 

The Ningxia cases were also diagnosed by the regional veterinary authority as Asian type 1 FMD and confirmed by the state FMD lab.

The ministry have since dispatched experts to the affected areas to control the outbreaks, with the two outbreaks now brought under control.

About 90 head of cattle and 110 sheep have been destroyed in Ningxia while 100 cows were killed in Jiangsu.