German authorities move to contain foot-and-mouth disease

Zoos in Berlin have closed, while the neighboring state of Brandenburg banned animal transport on Saturday following an outbreak of the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease.

Germany recorded its first cases of foot-and-mouth disease in 35 years in a herd of water buffalo in Hönow, Brandenburg, just outside the Berlin city limits.

Operators of Berlin Zoo in the city center and the Tierpark wildlife park in the city's east said they would remain closed for the time being to protect the animals and prevent the disease from spreading.

Animal transport banned, pigs culled

In the state of Brandenburg, which surrounds Berlin but does not include it, the government has banned animal transport for 72 hours.

The ban applies to cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, camels, alpacas and llamas.

Meanwhile, around 200 pigs at a farm near where the outbreak was detected will be slaughtered as a precautionary measure.

Brandenburg's Agriculture Minister Hanka Mittelstädt said on Friday that three water buffalo had died in Hönow due to the disease.

The remaining 11 buffalo in the same herd will also be slaughtered to minimize the risk of further spread and a 3-kilometer (1.9-mile) exclusion zone has been established around the affected farm.

The iconic Berlin Zoo closed its doors to minimize the potential spread of the virusImage: Sebastian Gollnow/dpa/picture alliance

What is foot-and-mouth disease?

Humans are rarely affected by foot-and-mouth disease, which is sometimes confused with the similarly named hand, foot and mouth disease that affects children.

The outbreak in Germany mainly threatens cattle and other cloven-hoofed animals.

The disease can make animals ill with fever, decreased appetite, excessive drooling, and blisters. In some cases it can be fatal.

The virus spreads easily through contact and airborne transmission, as well as through contaminated farming equipment and vehicles.

Berlin's zoos also noted that humans can spread the disease if their clothes come into contact with the virus.

zc/lo (dpa, AP)