The outbreak was detected last month at a cattle farm in northwest Hungary, near the Austrian and Slovak borders, according to the World Organization for Animal Health.
Thousands of cattle have been slaughtered as authorities attempt to contain the disease, while Austria and Slovakia have closed multiple border crossings following parallel infections in southern Slovakia.
“At this stage, we cannot rule out that the virus may not be of natural origin,” Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff Gergely Gulyás told reporters on Thursday.
Though he gave no indication of who might be responsible, he said suspicion was based on preliminary foreign lab findings yet to be fully verified.
Hungary’s cattle population stood at around 861,000 head as of December—1.2% of total EU stocks, official data showed.
Foot-and-mouth disease poses no threat to humans but can devastate livestock, often triggering trade restrictions.
Gulyas added that no new outbreaks have been found so far, and authorities continue regular testing of herds.
(jh)
Source: Reuters