ULAN BATOR, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Mongolian quarantine officials have had 3,268 domestic animals slaughtered since the beginning of this year in the country to contain the spread of the deadly foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), Mongolia's Food, Agriculture and Light Industry Ministry said Monday.

Currently, there have been outbreaks of the FMD in nine provinces including its southeastern Dornogobi province.

A martial law has been declared in 19 soums (administrative subdivisions) in the nine provinces to control the FMD.

In addition, Mongolia has bought 500,000 doses of vaccine from Russia to fight the disease.

The FMD is a viral infectious disease that spreads between cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep and pigs. The main symptoms of sick animals are increased body temperature, blisters and ulceration in the mucous membranes and hoofs in the mouth.

The foot-and-mouth disease is rarely transmitted to humans, but humans may also be infected if exposed to the virus.