Jakarta (ANTARA) - At least 3,855,737 farm animals have been vaccinated against the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) as of Tuesday, the FMD handling task force has said.

According to the task force’s report on Tuesday, the vaccinated animals comprise 3,487,873 cows, 71,982 buffaloes, 47,066 sheep, 118,821 goats, and 130,004 pigs.

The report showed that the FMD outbreak affected 303 districts and cities in 24 Indonesian provinces.

The task force also reported that 549,918 farm animals have contracted FMD so far, out of whom 442,426 have recovered, 85,531 have not recovered, and 9,535 have succumbed to the disease.

At least 9,535 animals have died of FMD, comprising 9,168 cows, 220 buffaloes, 46 sheep, and 98 goats. Meanwhile, the number of animals that have been conditionally slaughtered has reached 12,426.

Efforts to curb the spread of FMD include limiting the movement of animals, supervising animal movement and conducting surveillance, prohibiting the entry of farm animals from other areas, implementing strict quarantine, good maintenance management, improving sanitation, and regular disinfection of cages and surrounding areas.

To check FMD transmission, the Ministry of Agriculture launched a vaccination program for livestock from Sidoarjo district, East Java, on June 14, 2022.

Earlier, coordinator of the expert team of the FMD Handling Task Force Wiku Adisasmito said that FMD vaccination could affect national food security.

"Vaccination has a direct and indirect impact on national food security,” he noted.

Adisasmito highlighted that based on a journal issued in 2021, vaccination that is conducted well can restore the productivity of farm animals infected with FMD earlier.

This will affect the fulfillment of the stocks of national food commodities originating from animals and make them stable again for commodities such as meat or milk.

Apart from national food security, FMD vaccinations have also affected the process of economic recovery, especially for farmers whose incomes have declined due to the outbreak.

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Translator: Asep Firmansyah, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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