Foot-and-mouth disease confirmed in Tibet

BEIJING - China's Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said on Monday that infections of foot-and-mouth disease have been confirmed in cattle in Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region.

A village in Biru County in Nagqu Prefecture reported on Aug 10 that seven head of cattle had shown signs of the disease. On August 19, another village in Nagqu County in the same prefecture reported that 99 head of cattle showed symptoms of the disease, according to the MOA.

The national foot-and-mouth disease reference laboratory confirmed the two cases as type A foot-and-mouth disease on Monday .

To prevent spread of the disease, local authorities have sealed off and sterilized the infected areas, where 388 head of cattle have been culled and safely disposed of, according to the ministry.

Foot-and-mouth disease is a contagious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild species within the family Bovidae.