Confirmed in China

On May 26, China’s Ministry of Agriculture confirmed outbreaks of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in Beijing, Xinjiang, and Hebei.

While horses cannot be infected by FMD, they can carry the virus on their hooves, skin, hair, and possibly in their nasal passages. Restrictions on livestock transport in a foot and mouth outbreak could severely hamper the equine industry of a country.

The initial FMD detection was in cows on May 5 in Yanqing County (Beijing municipality). In all, 3,284 cattle had been destroyed in the three areas to prevent FMD spread. Control measures, including vaccination, quarantine, and movement control, have been established. Two smaller outbreaks were reported in mid-May in the Shandong and Jiangsu provinces