Hungary faces first outbreak of peste des petits ruminants

Laboratory tests conducted by the Hungarian veterinary service Nébih confirmed the presence of the virus on January 26. As a result, 12 animals died, and the remaining livestock was destroyed as part of measures to eliminate the outbreak.

According to the Rosselkhoznadzor, the infected animals arrived in Hungary on January 15 from a collection point in Romania. In response to the outbreak, the country's veterinary services established:

A protection zone with a radius of 3 km around the farm.

A surveillance and observation zone with a radius of 10 km, including the territory of neighboring Slovenia.

Hungary became the third EU country to lose its PPR-free status, following Greece, Bulgaria and Romania.

Rosselkhoznadzor had previously warned of the risk of the infection spreading across the EU, given the outbreaks in Greece, Bulgaria and Romania.