Germany had been free of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) since 1988 — until the virus was detected in a herd of water buffalo in the state of Brandenburg in early January 2025.

At the time the deadly virus was detected, local authorities confirmed three animals had died, and the rest of the herd was culled. South Korea also swiftly banned the import of pork from Germany.

More than a week later (January 19, 2025), Germany's Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir cautioned that, while the outbreak was limited to the one in Brandenburg, there would be no quick return to "normality".

What is foot-and-mouth disease?

FMD is caused by aphthoviruses. It is a highly contagious viral infection that mostly affects cloven-hoofed animals. That includes domestic and wild pigs, cows, sheep, goats, buffalo and dear. But giraffes, camels, hippopotamuses and elephants can get sick with FMD, too.

Infected animals develop fluid-filled blisters on their mouths, hooves and teats. When the blisters burst, the fluid leaks and the virus can spread and infect other animals. 

The virus is also spread via breath, dung, milk and spit. Indirectly, the virus is transmitted via contaminated surfaces and other objects, such as animal transportation vehicles and clothing.

FMD is often mistaken for hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD). HFMD has similar symptoms, but mostly affects young children. Germany's federal health body, the Robert Koch Institute warns that the two diseases have nothing to do with one another: HFMD exclusively affects people.  

How dangerous is foot-and-mouth disease for people and animals?

After an incubation period of between two and seven days, milk cattle tend to show the worst symptoms: high fever, apathy and a lack of appetite.

According to the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, a federal body that researches animal health, most infections are not fatal. But animals can remain sick for a long time and produce significantly less milk. In young cattle, the virus can cause damage to the heart muscle.

While FMD can be deadly for animals, infections in humans are often mild. The symptoms include light fever, blisters around the mouth, fingers and toes — but the blisters heal within a few days.

Humans only rarely get infected after contact with animals. As such, FMD is not considered a classic zoonotic disease — an infection that spreads between animals and humans.

So far, there are no known cases of transmission via food and drink or infections from humans to humans. 

Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, however, advises caution when it comes to the consumption of raw or unpasteurized milk, frozen pork and corned beef, because the virus can remain infectious in those products for months.

Raw milk can transmit a number of infectious diseases, including bird flu.

How widespread is foot-and-mouth disease?

FMD is found around the world. It is endemic in parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

The Friedrich Loeffler Institute says that illegally imported foods from these high-risk regions pose a constant threat to Europe. It is also illegal to feed animals, such as pigs, with leftover human food.

When that ban was once ignored in 2001, it led to a big FMD outbreak in the United Kingdom. Six million animals were culled in efforts to stop the spread of the disease. In the EU, the last known outbreak was in 2011 in Bulgaria.

How is FMD treated?

There is no treatment for FMD. Up to 1991, it was EU law to vaccinate cattle against FMD. But since it was discovered that even vaccinated animals can carry the virus for years, the vaccine has not been routinely administered.

As a result, if one animal is infected in a herd, or on a farm, all the animals are culled to stop the spread of the infection. Stables and transporters have to be intensively disinfected, because the virus is extremely resilient there as well. It can survive and remain infectious on surfaces, objects and in hay for months.

This article was originally published in German.