The government of a European country has suggested a ‘biological attack’ could be behind a recent disease outbreak – a spokesperson has said ‘we may be dealing with an artificially engineered virus’
The government of a European country has suggested a “biological attack” could be the culprit behind the outbreak of a 500-year-old viral disease rattling the country. The outbreak of foot and mouth disease has triggered multiple border closures and triggered the mass slaughter of livestock.
The World Organisation for Animal Health announced the outbreak was first detected in Hungary’s northwest region, near the border with Austria and Slovakia last month. The health agency highlighted the virus was found on a cattle farm and after the inspection of nearly 1,000 farms four in the region tested positive for the virus.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff Gergely Gulyas announced the government was looking at a number of potential origins that could have sparked the virus outbreak.
The spokesman highlighted: “At this stage, we can say that it cannot be ruled out that the virus was not of natural origin, we may be dealing with an artificially engineered virus.”
Gulyas revealed he was unable to reveal if the virus outbreak was the result of a biological attack and added his suspicion was based on verbal information received from a foreign laboratory. Austria and Slovakia have closed dozens of border crossings between the European countries after the disease was detected in the South of Slovakia.
Foot and mouth disease is an incredibly deadly disease among animals and can be spread through direct contact with infected animals, their secretions, and indirectly through contaminated objects.
While the viral disease primarily travels via contact it can be transported through the air through respiratory droplets and aerosols, alongside this the disease can also travel long distances in water in favourable conditions.
Despite not posing a danger to humans, foot and mouth disease can cause fever and mouth blisters in cloven-hoofed ruminants in livestock such as cattle, swine, sheep and goats. Outbreaks of the disease often lead to trade restrictions.
The Daily Star previously reported on advice from the Centre for Disease Control, which has shared travel guidance to a concerning 57 countries and has warned of a “highly contagious virus outbreak”.
The agency has warned against Measles, a highly infectious virus, which resides in the mucus of the nose and throat of an infected person.
The CDC added all international travellers should receive the complete measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine series, including an early dose for infants aged 6–11 months, in line with their recommendations for measles vaccinations and international travel.
The CDC affirmed measles still remains a persistent global threat. A total of 57 countries, including the UK, are currently grappling with high transmission rates.