JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives Dedi Mulyadi reminded the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) not to underestimate the spread of mouth and nail disease (FMD) in livestock, as was the case with the initial handling of COVID-19 in Indonesia.
"Don't let our perspective of dealing with this epidemic be the same as our perspective of thinking when dealing with COVID-19 at the beginning, this is what we want to convey," said Dedi in a working meeting with the Ministry of Agriculture at the Parliament Building in Jakarta, Monday, May 23. .
Dedi reminded that when COVID-19 first entered Indonesia, the government considered the disease to be harmless and could be cured with herbs.
However, after that the spread of COVID-19, which was initially considered small, came in big waves and caused many deaths in the community and health workers.
Dedi Mulyadi conveyed this after hearing the explanation from the Minister of Agriculture who stated that FMD in animals can be cured with drugs, vitamins, and antibiotics.
"Yesterday, in Lampung, two of us came there who brought the virus cured, sir, sorry. And they gave turmeric, some gave antibiotics, three times the PCR intervention was negative. So we can't panic too much, it doesn't mean We don't have to be careful because this is how it is," said Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo.
A member of Commission IV DPR RI who has a background as a veterinarian, Slamet, said that the government was negligent in keeping Indonesia free from FMD which had been going on for 20 years.
According to Slamet, it will take a long time for Indonesia to return to being free from foot and mouth disease in livestock.
Slamet also reminded the Ministry of Agriculture to convey accurate information that the handling of the spread of PMK can only be done by using vaccines.
"The problem is this is a virus, sir, which cannot be treated by antibiotics and others except by vaccines," said Slamet.
Slamet acknowledged that FMD in animals is not a zoonotic disease or a disease transmitted by animals to humans. But he stressed that the virus that causes livestock to become sick cannot be eliminated using drugs, antibiotics or vitamins.
According to him, drugs and vitamins are only supportive, not curative or curative. He emphasized that the proper way to handle FMD is to create herd immunity in farm animals using vaccines so that the virus cannot spread.
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