ULAN BATOR, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Two cases of mad cow disease were found in Mongolia, local media reported on Thursday, citing the country's Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry.

The ministry found the two cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy or mad cow disease in Orkhon soum (administrative subdivision) in the northern Darkhan-Uul Province on Monday.

Minister of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry Batjargal Batzorig has instructed officials to take all necessary measures to prevent the disease from spreading to other places.

Mad cow disease causes a degeneration of the brain and spinal cord in cattle, which can be transmitted to humans through eating beef.

With more than 66 million livestock animals, Mongolia aims to raise meat exports tenfold in the coming years and to diversify its heavily mining-dependent economy.

But frequent outbreaks of livestock animal diseases such as mad cow disease and the foot-and-mouth disease have taken a toll on its meat exports. Most recently, 15 cases of mad cow disease were reported in Must soum of Khovd Province in the west in mid-May. Enditem

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