BEIJING-- The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) on Friday confirmed two outbreaks of peste des petits ruminants, also known as goat plague, in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

On December 20, a farm in Kuqa county in Aksu prefecture reported that some goats showed suspected symptoms of the disease and 26 of them had died. On December 22, goats in Kalpin county in the same prefecture also showed suspected symptoms of the disease, and 44 of them died.

The country's exotic animal disease research center on Friday confirmed that the epidemic in both cases was peste des petits ruminants.

In Kalpin county, local authorities have sealed off and sterilized the infected area, where a total of 448 goats have been culled and safely disposed of.

In Kuqa county, work to seal off the infected areas and cull goats is being conducted in an orderly manner to prevent the disease from spreading, according to the MOA.

Peste des petits ruminants, also known as PPR, goat plague or ovine rinderpest, is a contagious disease mainly affecting goats and sheep. The virus causes fever, lesions, labored breathing and diarrhea in infected animals.