【Epoch Times April 11, 2026 report】(Epoch Times reporter Li Jing and Gu Xiaohua interviewed and reported) Recently, multiple provinces in China have experienced an outbreak of a new foot-and-mouth disease, marking the first large-scale transmission of the virus within the country. The epidemic has already affected at least 12 provinces, and the current vaccine is ineffective against it, with extremely high mortality rates among young livestock. Various regions have sealed off villages and roads, cattle markets have been closed, and pig prices have dropped to historic lows, causing severe losses for a large number of farmers. According to a March 28 announcement by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease have occurred in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, and Wuwei City, Gansu Province, confirmed to be South African Type 1 (SAT1) foot-and-mouth disease, marking the first outbreak of this serotype in China. A report on April 9 by Caixin Online indicated that the outbreak in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture involved a trading market with 513 cattle, of which 142 fell ill; the outbreak in Wuwei City involved a farm with 5,716 cattle, of which 77 fell ill. After the outbreak, local authorities implemented measures such as culling infected livestock. South African Type 1 (SAT1) foot-and-mouth disease is not an ordinary epidemic. This virus once devastated the livestock industry in South Africa, causing enormous economic losses, and was even designated a national disaster in South Africa. It is known that cattle, sheep, and pigs are all susceptible animals, with young cattle having a mortality rate of up to 50%, and piglets having a mortality rate between 30% and 70%. The virus can be transmitted through multiple routes, including air, feed, ground, and transportation vehicles, with an incubation period of 2 to 14 days. It is worth noting that the foot-and-mouth disease vaccines currently widely used in China are mainly targeted at traditional serotypes such as O and A, and are completely ineffective against South African Type 1. The rapid spread of the epidemic has plunged livestock farmers on the front lines into panic and despair. Zheng Dapeng (a pseudonym), a pig farmer in Shanxi Province, has 600 pigs in his farm and is currently enduring a difficult time. He told Epoch Times: "This year, there is no specific drug or vaccine for South African Type 1 foot-and-mouth disease." He said: "(The pigs) are in so much pain that they lie on the ground and won't get up or eat." Zheng Dapeng observed that the impact of this epidemic on cattle and sheep is particularly severe. "Pigs are somewhat better, but mainly cattle and sheep, and there have been cases in cattle in Gansu as well." He also revealed that currently, all provinces have entered a strict inspection state, with checkpoints set up at all intersections, and cross-provincial transportation must use designated routes. The large livestock wholesale market in Huaxi, Guiyang, has also been closed. Volunteer Chen Ruixiang (a pseudonym), who has been traveling to various pig farms and has been filming and recording the epidemic scene for a long time, told Epoch Times: "Foot-and-mouth disease has come, and it has affected several places, including Jiangxi, Anhui, Hunan, Guangdong, and Xinjiang, almost all over the country." He described that many animals did not survive, and the scene was horrifying, "Most of them died, just like the epidemic, pigs, cattle, and sheep were all taken away and buried in the mountains." Chen Ruixiang is currently in Hunan, where he witnessed the plight of local farmers. He said: "Because there is no specific drug for this foot-and-mouth disease, the farmers have suffered huge losses, with losses in the hundreds of thousands and tens of thousands." He said that all farms have been thoroughly disinfected, some pastures have been closed directly, and people who have been in contact with animals are not allowed to go out. The strict prevention and control measures have even extended to human-to-human interactions, "When I arrived at the pig farm in Hunan, I went to Jiangxi..."