Russian village sealed off to bar spread of foot and mouth disease

Local authorities sealed off a village in Russia's Far East region of Khabarovsk to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease.

Some 105 head of cattle in the village of Dobrolyubovo have exhibited symptoms of the Asia-1 strain of the disease, the Emergency Situations Ministry's Far East regional division said.

Foot and mouth disease is a highly contagious viral illness that affects cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep and pigs. It causes sores, blisters and fever. It is deadly for livestock, but harmless to people.

Traffic police have set up roadblocks and public health officials have put up disinfection barriers around the settlement, the ministry said. Officials have taken preventive measures in neighboring villages in the district, which borders China, and veterinary officials arrived in the region Monday with vaccines against the Asia-1 strain, the AP reports.

It was the second appearance of foot and mouth disease in the Far East this year, following an outbreak in June in the Amur region that prompted officials to destroy more than 230 head of cattle.