Jakarta, 25/6/2022 (ANTARA) - Indonesia is
battling the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak, mostly affecting
cows in regions since May 2022, while concurrently, it is on alert for
likely surge in COVID-19 cases triggered by emergence of new Omicron
sub-variants.
FMD cases have been detected in 19 provinces,
especially in East Java, West Nusa Tenggara, Aceh, West Java, and
Central Java. Three provinces, with the highest number of districts and
cities with FMD cases, are East Java, Central Java, and West Java.
As of June 23, at least 232,549 animals had contracted FMD. At least
152,618 of them have not yet recovered, while 1,333 have died. The most
infected cattle are cows, with their number reaching 227,070 heads.
FMD is a highly contagious viral disease that affects cattle, sheep,
goats, and pigs. FMD can spread through close contact between animals
and be carried on animal products or by the wind. Quarantine and
vaccination are among strategies to help control the FMD virus spread.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said
that the government will provide Rp10 million as compensation to cattle
breeders for every cow slaughtered due to the disease.
The
government has approved the procurement of 29 million additional doses
of the FMD vaccine for livestock using the budget of the Committee for
COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery (KPC-PEN), he added.
