The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has asked the regional government of Banten province to remain alert against the spread of the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) among livestock.

BNPB’s deputy for emergency management, Major General Fajar Setyawan, said that FMD transmission among livestock has been detected in six of the eight districts and cities in Banten province.

“Of the eight regions in Banten, only two have no FMD cases recorded, namely Serang city and Cilegon city,” he informed, according to a written statement received from BNPB here on Wednesday.

Setyawan, who represented the BNPB head as chair of the FMD Handling Task Force at a coordination meeting at the Banten Governor’s Office on Tuesday, appealed to local governments in Banten to take prompt measures to tackle the spread of FMD ahead of Eid al-Adha celebrations.

The measures include strict supervision at entry points and borders to prevent farm animals from FMD red zones from entering safe zones and vice versa as well as screening to identify animals who have been exposed to FMD.

He highlighted that the government is providing free vaccines to small farmers to control the spread of FMD.

“One of the efforts to minimize the spread of FMB is by vaccinating,” he said.

According to government data, as of June 27, 2022, as many as 1,643 farm animals in Banten province have contracted FMD, with 346 recovering from the disease

In Banten area, the most number of FMD cases have been reported in Tangerang city (483 cases), followed by Tangerang district (304 cases) and Lebak district (301 cases).

As part of the effort to curb the spread of FMD in Indonesia, the Ministry of Agriculture rolled out its FMD vaccination program for livestock from Sidoarjo district, East Java, on June 14.

Vaccine doses are being prioritized for healthy animals that are at high risk of infection, such as animals at livestock breeding centers, community-owned dairy farms, dairy cooperatives, and beef cattle farms.

Source: Antara News