Deputy Governor Cok Ace: FMD Vaccine For Bali Is Very Limited

DENPASAR - Deputy Governor (Vice Governor) of Bali Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati (Cok Ace) is trying to get a vaccine to anticipate the spread of the Mouth and Nail Disease (FMD) outbreak which has now entered the island of Bali.

According to Cok Ace, the available vaccine doses are still limited so that they are prioritized for areas that have FMD cases or red zones.

"Indeed, it is very limited. Because this vaccine is prioritized in red areas. Bali has been green so far, but we will try to get it for Bali," said Cok Ace, when met at the Bali DPRD building, Monday, July 4.

The first case of PMK was found in the Gianyar Regency, Bali. However, currently the infected cows have been culled and some are still being treated.

"So we are monitoring around Gianyar that there is no more positive (PMK) and hopefully in other places we can control everything," he added.

Meanwhile, the solution to the forced slaughter of cattle infected with PMK does not make farmers lose money. His party has coordinated and no farmers are harmed.

"We have discussed it with Mr. Kadis (Agriculture and Food Security). So far, no one has been harmed. It has been coordinated by Kadis yesterday to monitor that our farmers do not lose out," he said.

According to Cok Ace, beef affected by FMD can be sold or not. It depends on a certain level. 'It has grades, which ones can still be sold which ones can't be sold. It's already there," he said.

Cok Ace hopes that farmer groups in the field and the Department of Agriculture and Food Security in regencies and cities in Bali will be aggressive in monitoring conditions in the field if livestock are found to be infected with FMD.

"Hopefully, all officials are involved because this is very worrying, because it has spread in Bali as a tourism area as well. Although it is not contagious to humans, this is also not good for us here," he said.

The Department of Agriculture and Food Security in Bali has locked down the activity of sending livestock outside Bali, as a result of the discovery of dozens of positive hoof and mouth disease (PMK) cows in a number of areas in Bali.

"We're starting the lockdown. It's not allowed (the sending of livestock outside Bali) and there's a letter from the ministry. We're going to lock down first," said Head of the Bali Province Agriculture and Food Security Agency, I Wayan Sunada.

In addition to locking down cattle shipping activities, his party will also lock down livestock around areas affected by FMD so that the outbreak does not spread to other areas.