"This (FMD) can cause great economic losses due to declining production and become a problem in the trade of animals and their products," Jakarta DKPKP head Suharini Eliawati said in a text message to ANTARA here on Wednesday.
One of the preventive measures taken by the Jakarta provincial government has been holding a cross-sectoral coordination meeting with the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Transportation, the Jakarta Police, the Regional Governmental Apparatus Organization (OPD), Jakarta-owned meat industry firm Dharma Jaya, and Jakarta Indonesian Veterinary Association, she informed.
The cross-sectoral meeting aimed to increase early alertness and risk mitigation of FMD, she said.
Jakarta DKPKP also issued a circular letter on FMD, raised awareness about the disease among farmers, stakeholders, and DKPKP officials, and published information regarding the disease on social media.
“We also drafted an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for the prevention and control of FMD, arranged a surveillance team and a quick-response team, and conducted animal health checks at livestock centers and slaughterhouses," Eliawati said.
Animal health supervision and inspections are being carried out by the Jakarta DKPKP officers throughout the city's five administrative regions every day, she informed.
Related news: Police urge people to report livestock infected with FMD
According to Eliawati, the strategic measures were prepared quickly, considering the fact that the livestock population in Jakarta is pegged at around 10,728 heads of livestock, consisting of 1,349 dairy cows, 1,723 beef cattle, 42 buffaloes, 5,626 goats, 1,620 sheep, and 368 dairy goats.
She explained that FMD is an acute and highly contagious disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, such as cows, buffaloes, goats, sheep, and pigs.
The disease has a very high rate of transmission in animals of 90–100 percent and causes high mortality in young livestock, she added.
Related news: Metro city forms team to anticipate FMD spread
Translator: Ricky P, Kenzu T
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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