BEIJING - China's Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said Tuesday that foot-and-mouth disease infections were confirmed in cows in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

On April 8, a farm in Lop County in Xinjiang's Hotan Prefecture reported that 12 cows showed suspected signs of the disease, according to the MOA.

The National Foot-and-Mouth Disease Reference Laboratory on Tuesday confirmed the cases as type A foot-and-mouth disease.

To prevent the disease from spreading, local authorities have sealed off and sterilized the infected area, where the 12 sick head of cattle have been culled and safely disposed of, according to the MOA.

Foot-and-mouth disease is a contagious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild species within the family Bovidae.