Task Force: Vaccination Staff Have Not Sufficiently Barriers To PMK Vaccination

JAKARTA - Coordinator of the PMK Task Force Expert Team, Wiku Adisasmito, said that insufficient vaccinators were one of the obstacles in the implementation of PMK vaccination activities.

"There are several obstacles in the implementation of vaccination activities, some of which are vaccinators who are still not sufficient," said Wiku at a press conference on the Development of Handling FMD which was followed online in Jakarta, Antara, Tuesday, July 19.

In addition, he continued, the difficult terrain to get to the animal pens, as well as the difficulty of maintaining the optimal temperature of the vaccine when it was injected into livestock also hindered the implementation of PMK vaccination.

"The government, in this case, will continue to evaluate, coordinate and improve performance so that vaccination coverage gets bigger," he said.

On that occasion, Wiku also explained that FMD is a highly contagious animal disease and is caused by a virus. FMD can infect split-hoofed animals such as cattle, pigs, buffalo, goats, sheep, camels, and deer.

He said that susceptible animals infected with FMD are characterized by blisters or erosions in the mouth, tongue, gums, nostrils, nipples, and on the skin around the nails.

He added that FMD infected animals lie down more often. In beef cattle there is a decrease in body weight, while in dairy cattle there can be a very drastic decrease in milk production.

"We need to ensure the application of proper and strict health protocols to prevent the spread of the FMD virus to other FMD susceptible animals," he said.

He conveyed, the virus can be transmitted to animals susceptible to FMD through direct and indirect contact.

For transmission through direct contact, he said, occurs when healthy animals come into contact with infected animals.

Meanwhile, transmission through indirect contact, he continued, can occur when the virus is accidentally carried by humans through contamination of body parts, clothing, or footwear that is being used or contamination of vehicles or equipment that then comes into contact with susceptible animals, so that the FMD virus infects the animal.