Indonesia aims to bring foot-and-mouth disease under control by the end of this year

According to government data, more than 455,000 head of cattle in 23 of the archipelago’s 37 provinces were infected with the disease on Tuesday, with 4,720 killed by the disease and 7,561 others.

Cattle-producing countries, including Australia and New Zealand, have increased their vigilance against foot-and-mouth disease after infections were discovered on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.

“We hope that by the end of this year, we can bring the situation under control by reducing the number of reported cases from time to time,” said Wiku Adisamito, spokesman for the government’s epidemic task force. during a press conference. .

“We also want to reassure the international community that Indonesia is capable of containing the outbreak.”

Foot-and-mouth disease is highly transmissible and causes wounds and lameness in cattle, sheep, goats and other even-toed ungulates, but does not affect humans.

Indonesia has vaccinated nearly 900,000 head of cattle since its vaccination program began in June and has secured 3 million doses so far. The authorities have announced their intention to purchase another million doses by the end of the year.

The country has also strengthened biosecurity measures, such as installing hygienic floor mats and disinfectant sprayers at several airports, to ensure international and domestic travelers can prevent the spread of the virus, Wiku said.