Bundesheer in action: control of the mouth and claw disease in Lower Austria!

Bundesheer in action: control of the mouth and claw disease in Lower Austria!

in Lower Austria, the Bundesheer took over the use of assistance to combat the mouth and claw disease (MKS). This steps follow an application from the country and aims to support the health authorities in the districts of Gänserndorf and Bruck an der Leitha, as the Kleine Zeitung . So far, the epidemic carpets at the border crossings for Slovakia have been looked after by the road service.

The situation at the border crossings has so far been calm; The police said that the controls were without problems and so far no positive test results in Lower Austria have been found. The surveillance program continues to run without positive cases in neighboring Burgenland.

regulations and specifications

Despite the current situation, there are different opinions on the part of the politics to combat the plague. Deputy Governor Anja Haider-Wallner (Greens) expressed criticism of a new regulation of the Ministry of Health, which came into force on Monday. This only allows import bans for animals and animal products from the affected areas in Hungary and Slovakia. Haider-Wallner also appeals to the population to avoid journeys to the affected regions and indicates the risks that can assume animals, meat and dairy products.

The building directorate is active to moisten the epidemic carpets at the corresponding border crossings. In the Kittsee and Nickelsdorf motorway border crossings, the Bundesheer supports with special materials.

background to the mouth and claw disease

The mouth and claw disease is a high-contexting viral infection that can affect claw animals as well as zoo and wild animals. In Germany, a case at water buffalos in Brandenburg was confirmed on January 10, 2025, and since then no further cases have been discovered despite extensive tests. The Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture has set up for the containment of the plague, among other things, and a "stand still" was prescribed to prevent the spread.

In the past few weeks, however, an MKS outbreak in a cattle business has also been reported in Hungary. This is the first case since 1973, and references to further infections are published in both Hungary and in the adjacent Slovak Republic. According to the responsible committee in the Bundestag and the EU Commission, however, there are no connections between the outbreak in Brandenburg and that in Hungary