A retrospective analysis of the epizootic situation of foot-and-mouth disease and veterinary preventive measures in Russia and abroad

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) currently poses a significant threat to Russia's biosecurity, as it is a highly contagious disease transmitted from animals to humans, affecting cattle and other ungulates. As a disease of international significance and transboundary nature, it can cause significant damage to agriculture and the economy, affecting food supplies worldwide. Foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks have been observed in countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and, since 2025, in European countries. Given its high contagiousness, its ability to mutate, the large number of potential hosts, and its long survival outside infected hosts, the FMD virus poses a risk of spreading to neighboring countries and the Russian Federation. This threat exists constantly, particularly in those regions of Russia bordering China, Mongolia, Central Asia, and the Caucasus. Since 2000, high infectious activity of foot-and-mouth disease virus type O and SAT-2 has been observed; the latter was first introduced to the Eurasian continent in the countries of the Middle East – Saudi Arabia and Palestine, where virus types A, O, Asia-1 had previously been recorded, and against which insufficient anti-foot-and-mouth disease measures were taken. This scientific article presents a retrospective review of the epizootic situation (2017-2025) in the Russian Federation and in neighboring and non-CIS countries that are economic and trading partners of our country. The authors assessed the dynamics of epizootic indicators, including the number of outbreaks, affected animal species, virus serotypes, and distribution area. They also identified the main trends in the development of the epizootic situation and the factors influencing it. The effectiveness of anti-epidemic measures implemented in the Russian Federation is also assessed.