According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the outbreak was confirmed on a farm located in the northern part of the island. The farm housed 38 cattle and 250 sheep, with 9 confirmed cases of the disease in animals of both species. Suspicions of the disease were reported on the 15th, with laboratory confirmation obtained the following day.
Veterinary authorities have implemented standard disease control measures, including culling of infected animals, zoning of the affected area, and restrictions on animal movements.
According to WOAH, FMD had previously been eradicated in the region, with the last case on Lesvos recorded on August 18, 1994. The exact serotype of the virus is still being determined.
Although the current outbreak involves sheep and cattle, it raises concerns for other livestock sectors, as pigs are also susceptible to the FMD virus. According to data from the European Commission, Greece had approximately 782,000 pigs in 2025.
Meanwhile, FMD outbreaks have also recently been reported in Cyprus, where the virus has spread on farms in the Larnaca and Nicosia districts. According to WOAH, 40 outbreaks have been confirmed, mostly involving sheep and goats, although cattle were also present on six of the affected farms. The virus serotype identified in Cyprus is SAT 1, which had not previously been reported in the country.
Experts note that the outbreaks in Greece and Cyprus are not related to the FMD cases detected in 2025 in Germany and along the Slovakia–Hungary border, where serotype O was involved. The origin of the new outbreaks remains unclear. However, both islands are located relatively close to Turkey, where FMD has been endemic for more than a century.
PigUA.info based on materials from pigprogress.net