More Than 151000 Cattle in Indonesia Infected With Foot-and-Mouth
Indonesia will import 3 million (
https://bit.ly/3QsiTdp) vaccine
doses for cattle to curb the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD),
which has infected over 151,000 cattle so far, the country's
Agriculture Ministry said on June 13.
The outbreak has spread to 18 of the country's 34 provinces, with
the number of infected livestock increasing rapidly from 20,000 in
less than a month.
Some 800,000 vaccine doses arrived from France on June 12, local
media ANTARA News reported. Indonesia also procured vaccine
doses from Australia, Brazil, and New Zealand.
The country requires 27.2 million vaccine doses to vaccinate 17
million livestock, given that each of them will receive two
injections in 2022 and one injection the following year, according
to the ministry's official.
The virus was first detected in Sumatra and Java provinces in May.
Indonesia last reported the FMD outbreak in 1983.
FMD is highly transmissible and causes lesions and lameness in
cattle, sheep, goats, and other cloven-hoofed animals but only rarely
affects humans.
The outbreak comes at a time of rising meat prices in Indonesia and
ahead of Eid al-Adha, an important Islamic holiday where Muslims
traditionally slaughter animals and share the meat with the poor.
Australia offered assistance to Indonesia in May to combat the
outbreak and advised livestock industries to liaise with their
Indonesian counterparts.
In a statement, the Australian Agriculture Ministry said it reviewed
import permits for Indonesia's animal products that may carry FMD
and suspended those of concern.
"The risk to Australia remains low in the absence of close contact
between animals or the importation of infected products," the
ministry said.
Australian chief veterinary officer Dr. Mark Schipp visited Indonesia
on May 31 to discuss animal health and biosecurity cooperation,
describing the FMD outbreak as "one of Australia's biggest
biosecurity risks."
"FMD is a contagious viral disease found in cattle, sheep, goats,
and pigs, with severe consequences for animal health and agricultural
trade," Schipp said in a statement.
"Australia is already working closely with Indonesia to combat animal
diseases across our region, and stands ready to provide additional
support to help combat and contain the FMD outbreak in Java and
Sumatra."
