A total of 8,382 pigs have been culled after a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in south China's Guangdong Province, a local animal husbandry and veterinary official said Monday. The National Foot-and-Mouth Disease Reference Laboratory confirmed the outbreak Monday, said Yu Yedong, deputy director of Guangdong Provincial Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Bureau. A suspected foot-and-mouth outbreak was reported in Huangjinwei in Baiyun District in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, on Feb. 22, according to Xinhua. Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious and sometimes fatal illness that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including cattle, sheep and goats.
