The foot-and-mouth disease in livestocks occurred in the central province Ha Tinh of Vietnam, the local newspaper People's Army reported Monday.

According to Pham Thanh Binh, head of the provincial animal health bureau, the epidemic broke out in Huong Khe district, causing nine livestocks infected with the virus.

The virus was believed to come from the nearby province of Nghe An, which had been reported of the epidemic by the Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said Binh.

The provincial animal health officials are taking measures to prevent the disease spread including sterilizing the infected areas, vaccinizing the rest livestocks and banning the transport and trading livestocks from the nearby provinces.

According to the Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam currently has two provinces hit by the foot-and-mouth disease, namely the northern province of Son La and the central Ha Tinh.