Cattle in several regions of Azerbaijan are showing alarming symptoms: loss of appetite, high fever, mouth ulcers, and lameness. Farm owners are sounding the alarm as foot-and-mouth disease, a dangerous viral infection, is rapidly spreading among animals.
Farmer Khanlar Namazov from the Tovuz region links the outbreak to the abnormal drought that has settled in the area. According to him, the problem has become particularly severe in remote mountainous villages, where cases of livestock deaths have already been reported.
“The disease manifests with characteristic signs: tissues between the hooves are affected, fluid discharges from the animals’ eyes, and ulcers form in the mouth. We, the rural residents, are forced to resort to folk remedies, for example, we treat the affected areas with salt. The disease worsens due to the extreme heat and sudden weather changes. There have been especially many cases of animal deaths from foot-and-mouth disease in the mountainous areas of Gedabek and the high-altitude villages of the Tovuz region,” Namazov explains.
Despite regular vaccination of cattle against foot-and-mouth disease, the disease continues to affect animals in various farms. The disease has also been spreading in the Ismayilli region in recent months. Farmers are especially concerned about symptoms such as animals refusing feed, high temperature, swelling of the hooves, and the overall deterioration of the livestock’s condition.
The situation is complicated by the fact that foot-and-mouth symptoms may resemble those of other diseases, making timely diagnosis and proper treatment difficult. Many farm owners are unable to independently determine whether their animals are suffering from foot-and-mouth disease.
