An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) was confirmed in the German state of Brandenburg on Friday.

The outbreak was found in a herd of water buffalo and local authorities have “taken control” and implemented “protection measures”, including further tests.

All animals in the infected herd will now be culled.

The suspected cases were confirmed by Germany’s national reference laboratory for FMD at the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut.

The highly contagious virus also affects cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, with many species of wild animals susceptible to the disease.

There is no treatment or cure for infected animals and the disease is subject to strict prevention and control measures internationally.

Outbreaks

The EU’s last outbreak occurred in Bulgaria 14 years ago, with the last major outbreak that hit the UK, Ireland, France and Netherlands in 2001.

Germany’s last outbreak was in the state of Lower Saxony in 1998.

The virus is endemic in Turkey, the Middle East, Africa, parts of Asia and regions of South America, according to the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut.

The body went on to state that illegally imported animal products from these countries pose a “constant threat to European agriculture”.