A Total Of 169 Cows In Bangka Suspected Of Foot And Mouth Disease, Spread In 3 Districts

Officers check animal health before slaughter at Lambaro Slaughterhouse (RPH), Aceh Besar, Aceh. (Photo: Antara)

BANGKA - The Food and Agriculture Service (Dinpanpertan) of Bangka Regency, Province of the Bangka Belitung Islands recorded as many as 169 cattle known to be suspected of oral and nail diseases.

Sub Coordinator of Animal Health at the Food and Agriculture Office of Bangka Regency, Eka Irawati, said 169 cows were known to be suspected of having mouth and foot disease based on blood sample tests on 10 symptomatic cows.

"In addition to blood samples from symptomatic cows, samples of tongue and snot scrapings were also carried out on two cows," said Eka as quoted by Antara, Sunday, May 15.

According to her, the hundreds of cows suspected of FMD were imported by collectors from outside the island of Bangka Belitung through the ferry transportation route on Tuesday, April 26.

Cows with suspected foot and mouth disease in Bangka Regency are scattered in Sungailiat District, Pemali, Merawan.

"Meanwhile, cows cultivated by farmers have not been found to be infected with foot and mouth disease," she said.

Eka said that this oral and nail disease is relatively easy to spread to other livestock such as sheep to pigs or animals with even hoofs.

Farm animals infected with foot and mouth disease, said Eka, can cause death.

However, animal meat suspected of oral and nail disease is not harmful to humans if cooked thoroughly.

"General characteristics of animals with mouth and nail disease symptoms are seen from the physical condition of the animal's cracked nails, mouth ulcers which have an impact on the animal's decreased appetite," she explained.

The community is asked not to enter and remove animals from Bangka Regency.

This is to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease to similar animals in the suspect area.

"Our preventive treatment is by giving drugs to animals so that the virus does not spread because until now there has not been found a drug for animals infected with FMD," she explained.

According to her, preventing the spread of foot and mouth diseases apart from giving appetite-boosting drugs and administering vaccines to animals.

"We have proposed animal vaccines to animal health centers with the hope that they can be distributed as needed," said Eka.