Distan Mataram Prepares 600 Second Dose Of Mouth And Nail Disease Vaccines For Cows

Head of the Livestock Division of the Mataram City Agriculture Service (Distan) drh Dijan Riyatmoko. (Photo: ANTARA)

MATARAM - Mataram City Agriculture Service, West Nusa Tenggara Province, has prepared 600 second doses of mouth and nail disease (PMK) vaccine for cattle as an effort to prevent and control the PMK virus. "As many as 600 doses of the second PMK vaccine, it is scheduled that this week we will start injecting 600 cows belonging to farmers in six sub-districts," said Mataram City Agriculture Service (Distan) Head Dijan Riyatmoko in Mataram, Antara, Wednesday, March 1. PMK vaccination is a national program that aims to increase endurance that is specific to PMK disease. It is hoped that the cows that have been vaccinated will form immunity, prevent the livestock from getting sick, and prevent transmission between livestock. According to him, the current population of cattle in Mataram City is 1,439. Meanwhile, in 2022 as many as 839 people have been vaccinated against the second dose, the remaining 600 will be carried out this year. After the second dose of vaccine is completed, he continued, the next six months a third dose of PMK vaccination will be carried out to strengthen or "booster", with a target of 90 percent of the cattle population or around 1,200. "We can't target 100 percent, because there are cows that sell before six months," he said. It is said that PMK vaccination activities for cattle are given free of charge because vaccine doses are also assisted by the central government as an effort to control and prevent the PMK virus. "Even though Mataram City is free from PMK cases, we must still carry out prevention efforts, one of which is through vaccination," he said. Meanwhile, for the supervision of livestock traffic in the animal market, continued Dijan, officers at the Selagalas Livestock Market will continue to carry out intensively. The PMK special team did not exist, but the supervision and inspection of livestock entering the livestock market remained selected, especially livestock coming from outside Lombok Island. "If there are indications of sick livestock, we refuse. We will not allow sick animals to enter," he said. It is hoped that through these efforts the city of Mataram can remain sterile from various PMK viruses and other livestock diseases.