The National Police Chief Issues Telegram For Handling PMK Outbreaks

National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo /PHOTO: Police Public Relations

JAKARTA - The National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo has issued a Telegram Letter Number STR/395/OPS/2022 dated May 11, 2022 to all levels of the regional police containing directions in the context of emergency handling of foot and mouth disease (PMK) in ruminant livestock.

In the telegram, the police were asked to coordinate with the livestock service related to collecting data on the spread of FMD and efforts to prevent the entry of ruminant animals from areas that were declared an outbreak of FMD so that its spread could be minimized.

"The National Police have empowered and optimized the role of Bhabinkamtibmas together with livestock extension workers to educate the public that FMD is not contagious to humans. However, it is contagious to certain other animals," said Head of the Public Information Bureau (Karo Penmas) of the Public Relations Division of the Police Brigadier General Ahmad Ramadhan. May.

In an effort to prevent the spread of FMD from areas affected by the outbreak, East Java and Aceh, the National Police held a coordination meeting with the Ministry of Agriculture and relevant stakeholders to collect data related to the spread of FMD, then collect data on livestock infected with the FMD virus.

Animals that are fit for consumption, he said, must be forced to slaughter, and those that are not fit for consumption must be destroyed.

The former Head of the Public Information Section (Kabag Penum) of the National Police's Public Relations Division said that Polri members were still working in the field to record the number of cattle infected with the FMD virus.

Another effort, he continued, is to disseminate information to the public so that there is no panic selling because the disease is not dangerous to humans, including livestock owners.

"The government has provided medicines to treat the livestock," he said.

In addition, the police ranks also formulate how to act with the regional livestock service to supervise and localize the spread of PMK. The supervision is by blocking the trade in livestock from entering or leaving the area affected by the FMD outbreak, which refers to the document of the results of the veterinary examination from the quarantine office. agriculture and animal husbandry.

If deviations are found, said Ramadhan, strict and measurable legal action will be taken based on Law Number 21 of 2019 concerning Animal and Plant Quarantine.

The finding of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in cattle was reported for the first time in Gresik, Sidoarjo, Mojokerto, and Lamongan, including in Aceh.