Slovakia
What do we know about the outbreaks in Slovakia?
The three outbreaks are all close to the Hungarian border in the region of Dunajská Streda. More than 2,700 animals (1,699 dairy cows, 501 calves, 492 heifers and 79 bulls) are impacted.
One outbreak is in a farm near Baka. The farm has 1301 susceptible animals (cattle).
The second outbreak is close to the village of Ňárad - approximately 11 kilometres from the outbreak in Breda. The farm has 790 susceptible animals (cattle).
The third outbreak is close to the village of Medveďov - approximately 8 kilometres from Ňárad and 17 kilometres from Baka. The farm has 670 susceptible animals (cattle).
The region is particularly important for Slovakian livestock production with 13,000 cattle and 128,000 pigs.
Control measures are being implemented by Slovakian authorities, including protection zones and surveillance zones and the movement of animals is prohibited. The Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic has bought a supply of 10,000 vaccination doses. Affected animals will be vaccinated and culled.
Hungary
What do we know about the outbreak in Hungary?
The disease was detected at a dairy farm housing 1,408 cows. Classic FMD symptoms, including loss of appetite and fever, were first observed on 3 March, with official confirmation following on 6 March. Authorities estimate the initial infection occurred between 27–28 February 2025.
What actions have Hungarian authorities taken?
Hungarian authorities implemented an immediate lockdown of the farm and a 72- hour movement ban was put in place. The authority began an epidemiological investigation and set up a 3 km protection zone and a 10 km surveillance zone around the farm, with testing carried out at state expense.
A ban on hunting in the 10km zone around the outbreak was also introduced.
What serotype is the virus?
The Hungarian National Reference Laboratory identified the virus as O serotype. Its sequence shows the highest similarity with a strain isolated in Pakistan in 2017-18 (98- 99%). This strain differs from the one found in Germany in January 2025, meaning the outbreaks are not linked.
How was the virus introduced into Hungary?
The source of the outbreak remains unclear. So far, the epidemiological investigation has provided no indication that the virus was introduced through movements of animals or semen, and at lesser certainty equipment or vehicles. The introduction of the virus via the movement of people remains unclear.
Investigations are still ongoing.
No additional cases were detected in Germany after the January 2025 outbreak.