MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Foot and mouth in Brazilian Amazon.

Brazilian authorities confirmed Saturday the discovery of foot-and-mouth in the Amazon region, where a previous outbreak was reported almost three months ago.

The new cases of foot-and-mouth disease were detected in four cows between 12 and 24 months old in the municipality of Careiro da Varzea near Manaus, capital of Amazonas state, the Agricultural Ministry said in a official release.

According to the ministry the infected animals belong to a ranch located on a river island where a small herd of 34 cows, 15 sheep and a pig are grown for supplying the local market.

The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the Pan American Foot-and-Mouth Disease Centre, neighbouring countries with which Brazil trades were immediately informed of the FAM outbreak.

Brazil also admitted that the area where the outbreak occurred "the system of animal-health protection is in its beginning stages and is classified as one of high foot-and-mouth risk".

However the Ministry of Agriculture points out that since the ranch can only be reached by boat, contagion risk to other non-contaminated regions in Brazil is "minimal". But control stations will be set up to avoid movement of livestock to other areas.

The last FAM outbreak was reported last June 17 in Monte Alegre municipality, Para state, also in the Amazon region. It was Brazil's first FAM outbreak in 34 months.

At the time Argentina and Russia stopped imports of Brazilian beef but they resumed within weeks.

The current outbreak in Careiro da Varzea is 500 kilometres away from the area free of FAM with international certification and 350 kilometres from the neighbouring state of Para which has national free of FAM certification.