Up to 2,550 pigs and bulls in Vietnam's central highlands Lam Dong province have been infected with foot-and-mouth disease in recent days, local newspaper Pioneer reported Tuesday.

The disease has hit the pigs and bulls in seven out of 12 districts and towns in the province. Most of the infected animals are in Duc Trong district. By Monday, 2,250 animals in the district contracted the disease, more than 800 of them died.

Lam Dong may have to announce an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in its territory in the coming days, said Pham Van An, director of the provincial Agriculture and Rural Development Department.

The province currently has 669 poultry- and cattle-trading bases, nearly 500 of them operate without license, the newspaper said.

Source: Xinhua