Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD): questions and answers
BfR FAQs, 5. May 2025
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral disease in cloven-hoofed animals. The FMD virus is not hazardous to humans.
On 10 January 2025, FMD was detected on a water buffalo farm in the district of Märkisch-Oderland in Brandenburg. This was the first case of FMD in Germany since 1988. By that, Germany had lost its FMD-free status in accordance with the requirements of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). Following the successful implementation of extensive disease control measures, Germany was declared largely FMD-free by the WOAH on March 12, 2025, and completely FMD-free on April 14, 2025. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has compiled a selection of questions and answers on FMD below.