BEIJING - The Ministry of Agriculture said Sunday that an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease has been confirmed in cattle in Southwest China's Yunnan province.

A village in Shangri-La county reported on June 3 that 283 head of cattle had shown signs of the disease. National laboratory test results released on Sunday confirmed that the cattle are infected with type A foot-and-mouth disease, the ministry said in a statement on its website.

It said local authorities have sealed off and sterilized an infected area where 1,767 head of cattle have been culled and safely disposed of.

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.