Foot-and-mouth disease confirmed in SW China

BEIJING - China's Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said Monday that foot-and-mouth disease infections were confirmed in livestock in Southwest China's Sichuan province.

A total of 30 pigs at a slaughterhouse in the city of Guangyuan showed symptoms associated with foot-and-mouth disease on Saturday, according to the ministry.

The National Foot-and-Mouth Disease Reference Laboratory on Monday confirmed that those pigs were infected with type-O foot-and-mouth disease, it said.

To prevent the disease from spreading, local authorities have sealed off and sterilized the infected area, where a total of 124 pigs have been culled and safely disposed of, according to the MOA.

"The disease is now under proper control," it said.

Foot-and-mouth disease is a contagious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovid.