"LSD is an animal disease originally from Africa that has infected cattle in Riau in the past one month, so for emergency treatment, the Ministry of Agriculture has started vaccination," the Ministry's Director General of Livestock and Animal Health Services Nasrullah remarked.
"The LSD vaccination aims to prevent new infections and further spread of the disease," he stated.
In the first stage, Nasrullah affirmed that vaccination will be focused on infected cattle in some villages and will then be conducted in the control zone, with a radius of 10 kilometers from the impacted villages.
"Some 100 thousand doses of vaccine and vaccination logistics are ready," he stated.
Nasrullah further explained that the LSD control efforts in the province were conducted in some districts: Indragiri Hulu, Pelalawan, Indragiri Hilir, Dumai, Siak, Bengkalis, and Kampar.
The vaccination program was supported by the Australia-Indonesia Health Security Partnership (AIHSP) as well as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
"The Riau provincial government and the district have also been very supportive of this vaccination," he said.
Head of the Livestock and Animal Health Services of Riau Province, Herman, welcomed the vaccination activity and expressed hope that it would suppress the number of new LSD cases and the transmission of LSD from the current infected areas.
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"We thank you for the full support from the Ministry of Agriculture, AIHSP, and FAO in controlling LSD in Riau," he remarked.
Herman stated that as many as 188 animal health workers are ready to conduct vaccinations.
FAO Representative in Indonesia and Timor Leste, Rajendra Aryal, explained that LSD had currently infected Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and other countries in Asia.
Hence, he reiterated the importance of international collaboration in controlling diseases that may spread across borders and disrupt trade.
"The FAO is working closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and supporting Indonesia to promptly respond to this lumpy skin disease (LSD) outbreak before it further threatens the animal health and food systems," Aryal affirmed.
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Reporter: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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