BEIJING - China's Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) announced on Tuesday that foot-and-mouth disease infections have been confirmed in cattle in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

The infections were first spotted in two head of cattle, which were raised by a local farmer, 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 22 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.