"We are working quickly following the emergence of foot and mouth disease in livestock in a number of areas," DKPP head Moh Arifin Soedjayana said on Wednesday.
After the DKPP received information regarding the outbreak of the foot and mouth disease from East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa, Soedjayana said he immediately coordinated with the district/city to take preventive steps and raise awareness about the finding of cases.
"The East Java province reported on May 5, 2022, regarding this foot and mouth disease. The next day, we immediately coordinated with the region to increase vigilance since there was a report from Garut district regarding a suspected case of the disease," he added.
On May 7, DKPP, together with the Subang Veterinary Center Team, took samples from animals suspected to have contracted mouth and foot disease in Garut district.
Samples were also taken at suspected outbreak locations in Tasikmalaya district and Banjar city.
"The result showed that several samples were confirmed to be 100-percent positive for the disease," Soedjayana informed.
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Providing details, he said 25 beef cattle, 3 dairy cows, and 5 sheep were found positive for mouth and foot disease in Leles, Garut district.
Meanwhile, 18 cows in Tasikmalaya and 11 cows in Banjar city tested positive for the disease.
"With the positive findings on May 7, we formed the PMK Rapid Response Unit," he said.
In addition, DKPP also issued a circular asking the head of the agency in charge of animal husbandry and animal health in West Java regencies/cities to remain alert for the spread of the disease.
"We have also held coordination meetings with related parties in West Java as well as inspections at the Tanjung Sari Animal Market in Sumedang and Manonjaya in Tasikmalaya," Soedjayana said.
He informed that DKPP has prepared a strategy and plan for closing the livestock export route and the livestock market.
The strategy and plan also cover closing the entry of medium carriers and monitoring livestock traffic, especially at the two checkpoints in Losari and Banjar.
"From April 1 to May 10, there were 5,025 beef cattle, 294 sheep, 578 goats, and 11 buffaloes entering through the two checkpoints from Central Java, East Java, and Bali," he said.
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Translator: Ajat Sudrajat, Resinta S
Editor: Suharto
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