PMK Outbreak: Surabaya City Government Optimizing Livestock Vaccination Ahead Of Eid Al-Adha 1443 H

Officers from the Department of Food and Agriculture Security (DKPP) of Surabaya City vaccinated animals as an effort to anticipate and prevent outbreaks of mouth and nail disease (FMD) ahead of Eid al-Adha. (Between)

JAKARTA - The Surabaya City Government is optimizing livestock vaccination as an effort to anticipate and prevent foot and mouth disease (FMD) ahead of Eid al-Adha 1443 H.

Deputy Mayor of Surabaya Armuji in Surabaya, Sunday, said the Regional Food and Agriculture Security Service (DKPP) continues to monitor the development of the PMK vaccine so that it can be quickly distributed to farmers.

"This is to anticipate the development of PMK which is increasingly dangerous and can harm farmers," Armuji said as quoted by Antara.

Armuji appealed to farmers for the time being not to visit neighbors who are also farmers. "In the meantime, don't go to fellow breeders so that you don't transmit FMD from one animal to another," he said.

According to him, the breeders also do not know whether their animals are infected with the FMD virus or not. Moreover, the transmission of PMK is very fast if the attributes such as shoes, t-shirts, and pants are not equipped with personal protective equipment (PPE).

Head of the Food and Agriculture Security Agency (DKPP) of Surabaya City Antiek Sugiharti admitted that his party had received 600 doses of vaccine from the Animal Husbandry Service of East Java Province on June 24, 2022. The target for the first stage of PMK vaccination is 600 dairy cattle and beef cattle, which will not be slaughtered at least 1 year.

"Vaccination is given to cattle, based on the results of the examination by medical/veterinary paramedics in good health or not showing clinical symptoms of FMD," said Antiek.

He explained that the PMK vaccination will be given in three stages, namely one month after the first vaccination and a booster vaccination 6 months after the second vaccination. The vaccine is allowed to be given to calves who are at least two weeks old.

"The vaccination schedule starts from June 24 to July 7 2022, on farms that have met several requirements," he said.