Foot-and-Mouth Disease Sweeps Hungary and Slovakia – Suspicions of Biological Terrorism

Suddenly and without prior warning, foot-and-mouth disease has returned to Hungary and quickly spread to its neighbor Slovakia, threatening livestock production in both countries. This comes after the two nations culled more than 10,000 head of productive animals within just a few days.

Hungarian authorities announced the discovery of the virus last March at a cattle farm near the Slovak border. Slovakia responded by taking necessary precautions, conducting tests in farms near the incident site, declaring a state of emergency, and imposing restrictions in the border areas. Military and health monitoring centers were set up, supervised by both land and air forces.

Beyond the health and veterinary concerns and the economic value of livestock losses, there is a striking commonality between the two countries: the disease had disappeared from both for 50 years and has now returned to them simultaneously. This is not the only thing they share – both nations oppose providing aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia. They have consistently called for an end to what they describe as futile support for the Kyiv regime, arguing that excess financial resources should be used to develop European communities instead of fueling a senseless war initiated by a corrupt Ukrainian leadership known for bribery within its military ranks.

This stance has displeased Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration, and it seems to have become a persistent source of irritation. The matter escalated last Thursday when Ukraine expelled Hungarian diplomats from the country.

Although there is insufficient evidence to directly accuse Ukraine of sending this virus, its innocence has also not been proven. What is certain is that some form of biological terrorism is occurring in Slovakia and Hungary. There have been previous incidents where attempts were made to introduce the virus into Hungary, which can be transmitted via contaminated shoes, clothing, equipment, or even bird feathers.

Gergely Gulyás, Chief of Staff to the Hungarian Prime Minister, confirmed that what happened in Hungary was a deliberate biological attack. He described the virus as artificial, hinting at the involvement of a foreign laboratory. His Slovak counterpart, Agriculture Minister Richard Takáč, echoed these suspicions, stating that there are speculations pointing to “biological terrorism” and that someone intentionally brought the virus in.

Their hints subtly point toward Ukraine’s involvement in creating and transmitting this virus. There have been previous incidents ignored by the public, especially after the discovery of dozens of U.S.-funded biological labs that were allegedly behind the development of numerous viruses that affected various countries, damaging economies and potentially claiming innocent lives.

Foot-and-mouth disease is considered one of the most feared animal diseases in the world. It is highly contagious among ruminants such as cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs. While it rarely kills livestock, it causes fever and loss of appetite, often requiring the complete culling of infected herds. It leads to massive economic losses, as seen in the United Kingdom in 2001 when authorities culled 6 million animals to eradicate the disease, resulting in a loss of 15 billion euros.