This FMD is still under research at our veterinary lab in Surabaya, so we can identify the level and type. We hope the results would come out today or tomorrowJakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Agriculture has formulated a strategy to eradicate the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) that is affecting livestock to thwart the spread of the ailment.
Earlier, over one thousand livestock in East Java had been found to be affected with foot-and-mouth disease.
Agriculture Minister Sayhrul Yasin Limpo noted in his statement on Tuesday that efforts to eradicate the disease were being made by assigning a team to check the condition on the field.
Limpo noted that the Veterinary Farma Center (Pusvetma) in Surabaya, East Java, was conducting further research to ascertain the level and type of FMD serotype identified in several areas in the province.
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"This FMD is still under research at our veterinary lab in Surabaya, so we can identify the level and type. We hope the results would come out today or tomorrow," he remarked.
He noted that once the results were obtained, it would be easier for the government to decide on the right vaccine. He expressed optimism that the process of deciding on the vaccine can utilize local human resources to ensure that the handling of FMD can run effectively and efficiently.
The minister also highlighted that the disease is not transmissible to humans despite it spreading rapidly to animals. To this end, apart from preparing a strategy to curb the transmission, he also called on people to not harbor concerns and not overly panic due to the disease.
"We should conduct maximum dissemination (of information) to (members of) the community, and this has been supported by the health minister during the limited meeting with the president," he remarked.
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East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa urged the media to support the government's efforts to educate the community regarding FMD to prevent undue panic among people about the disease.
She affirmed that the East Java government and Ministry of Agriculture will apply several comprehensive measures to ensure that the disease is not spreading in East Java. The government implemented cage-based isolation and collaborated with several other parties to ensure the medicines from the Ministry of Agriculture are distributed maximally.
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Translator: Aditya Ramadhan, Raka Adji
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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