Austria has closed off two dozen border crossings with its neighbors, Hungary and Slovakia, in a bid to contain the spread of foot-and-mouth disease and prevent it from entering the country. Slovakia declared an emergency situation on Tuesday after the disease was found on three farms. On Wednesday, Hungary had its first outbreak of the highly infectious disease in 50 years, leading the country to deploy soldiers and launch disinfection measures to contain it in an area bordering Slovakia and Austria. The disease poses no danger to humans and primarily affects cattle and other cloven-hoofed animals like swine, sheep and goats. Infected animals experience fever and mouth blisters as symptoms of the disease. Outbreaks often lead to trade restrictions and culls of some livestock. Austrian health authorities are conducting rigorous checks at the few open border crossings with Hungary and Slovakia. Cars must cross over an epidemic rug to prevent the virus from spreading, and this measure also applies to pedestrians crossing the border on foot. Austrian authorities say they're focusing their police resources on the border while this emergency persists. They added that while border forces are on high alert, they also prepare contingencies if the disease is detected on one of Austria's farms. — Euronews
