Federal army against plague: Border controls in Lower Austria start now!

Federal army against plague: Border controls in Lower Austria start now!

Niederösterreich, Österreich - On April 14, 2025, the authorities in Lower Austria initiated measures to combat the mouth and claw disease (MKS). From Monday afternoon, the Federal Army will take control at the open border crossings to Slovakia, where the road service has so far looked after the epidemic. This is done as part of an assistance mission, which was requested to support the health authorities in the districts of Gänserndorf and Bruck an der Leitha href = "https://www.kleinezeitung.at/service/newsticker/chronik/19578701/mks-assistenzetzetzet-in-niederoesterreich-startet"> kleinezeitung.at reported.

According to the office of State Councilor Susanne Rosenkranz (FPÖ), no positive test results have so far occurred in Lower Austria. The police have also confirmed that the controls at the border were without problems. A similar surveillance program continues in Burgenland, which also does not record positive cases.

measures at the border crossings

Especially in the areas where epidemics were interpreted, care is important. The building management moisturizes the epidemic carpets at all border crossings, with the exception of the Kittsee and Nickelsdorf motorway border crossings, where the Bundesheer becomes active in cooperation with materials from the building management. These preventive measures should help to minimize the risks of spreading the plague.

A critical voice comes from the deputy governor Anja Haider-Wallner (Greens), who questions the new Ordinance of the Ministry of Health, which came into force on Monday. This regulation provides for an import ban for animals and animal products from areas affected by mouth and claw disease affected in Hungary and Slovakia. Haider-Wallner appeals to the population to avoid traveling to the affected areas, since animals, meat and their products as well as raw milk can be potential transmitters of the plague.

Development in Germany and Hungary

The MKS is a high -containing virus that can affect claws and wild animals, but is harmless to humans. In Germany, a case of MKS at Wasserbüffeln in the Märkisch-Oderland district, Brandenburg, was last confirmed on January 10, 2025. Despite intensive studies, no further cases have become known. To prevent the spread of the plague, restricted zones were set up in Brandenburg and Berlin, and a “stood still” for claws was arranged. These measures were successfully associated with advice from the federal-state Task Force animal disease fighting in order to monitor the situation and react quickly.

MSDs recent in the early March 2025 in a cattle business in northwestern Hungary were found, which is the first outbreak in Hungary since 1973. The location is also complicated by the reports of other cases in Hungary and the adjacent Slovak Republic. It is particularly worrying that there is currently no evidence of a connection between the outbreak in Brandenburg and that in Hungary, which underlines the need for cross -border surveillance measures. The corresponding EU Commission is continuously dealing with the effects of this animal disease on the region, as in further information on BMEL.de is described in detail.