World News for Students of English

08-04-2025 15:00

Austria has closed 24 small border crossings with Hungary and Slovakia to stop foot-and-mouth disease from spreading into the country.

This decision came after both neighboring countries reported outbreaks. Slovakia declared an emergency after detecting the disease on three farms, and Hungary confirmed its first outbreak in 50 years. In response, Hungary sent soldiers and began disinfecting the affected areas near the Austrian and Slovak borders. Foot-and-mouth disease is very infectious and affects cloven-hoofed animals like cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats. It doesn’t harm humans but causes fever and painful mouth blisters in animals. Such outbreaks often lead to serious economic problems due to trade restrictions and the need to kill infected livestock.

Austria has tightened health checks at the few border crossings that remain open. All vehicles and pedestrians must pass over disinfecting rugs. Police are also checking for meat products. Authorities say they are focusing all their resources on controlling the situation and preparing plans if the virus reaches Austrian farms.

Difficult words: outbreak (the sudden start of a disease), disinfect (to clean something to kill germs or viruses), cloven-hoofed (an animal that has feet divided into two parts).

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