Hoof-and-Mouth Disease Reappears

KOMPAS/ANGGER PUTRANTO

Veterinary officers carry out pregnancy checks on cattle belonging to farmers in Boyolangu Village, Banyuwangi, Tuesday (16/6/2020). The Banyuwangi Agriculture and Food Security Service held free medical treatment as an effort to prevent infectious diseases in brood cows.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — A total of 1,247 cows in the East Java regencies of Gresik, Lamongan, Sidoarjo and Mojokerto have reportedly contracted hoof-and-mouth disease (HMD; HMD in Indonesian), the first time since 1991, when the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) declared Indonesia HMD-free.

The Agriculture Ministry has dispatched a team to investigate the reported HMD cases. The ministry’s livestock and animal health director general, Nasrullah, said on Friday (6/5/2022) that the directorate was investigating the disease.

"Our team is investigating the disease in the field and samples of cows with suspected infections are being analyzed in the laboratory," he said via text message.

Our team is investigating the disease in the field and samples of cows with suspected infections are being analyzed in the laboratory.

Nasrullah said the directorate needed more time to gather data on the reported HMD cases. "Let our team work in the field first so the information will be comprehensive," he said.

The head of the East Java Livestock Office, Indyah Aryani, reported the outbreak to East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa on Thursday (5/5/2022). Indyah said the disease had infected many cows in East Java.

The East Java Livestock Office was coordinating with the Veterinary Center and the Veterinary Pharmaceutical Center in sampling to confirm the diagnosis of the disease. Symptomatic treatment was also being provided to sick cattle to prevent the spread of the disease and avoid potential panic selling.

KOMPAS/ANGGER PUTRANTO

A number of cows are prepared to take treatment to prevent infectious diseases in Boyolangu Village, Banyuwangi, Tuesday (16/6/2020).

According to data from the Agriculture Ministry, East Java had the largest cattle population in the country in 2020 with 4.82 million cows, followed by Central Java (1.8 million cows), South Sulawesi (1.43 million cows), West Nusa Tenggara (1.28 million cows) and East Nusa Tenggara (1.19 million cows).

Indonesian Veterinary Association chairman Muhammad Munawaroh regretted the reemergence of HMD. "In 1990, Indonesia was declared free of HMD by the World Organization for Animal Health. The reoccurrence of the outbreak is closely related to the weak supervision of livestock traffic, especially from countries that are not yet free of HMD," he said.

Munawaroh expressed hope that quarantine agencies would focus more on monitoring interregional livestock traffic. "I wonder why livestock, especially sheep, for example from Malaysia, which is not yet free of HMD, can enter [Indonesia] and be distributed to Wonosobo [Central Java] and Malang [East Java], thereby increasing the risk of [spreading] the infectious disease," he said.

Especially during the upcoming Idul Adha [Day of Sacrifice], there could be a shortage of meat.

He said strategic steps needed to be taken to stop the disease from spreading, such as by epidemiological investigations, vaccinations, culling sick livestock, and increasing control over livestock traffic. If the disease spread to other regencies/cities in East Java, one of the country’s major meat-producing regions, it would threaten food security, especially of animal proteins.

"Especially during the upcoming Idul Adha [Day of Sacrifice], there could be a shortage of meat," he said.

Separately, Ali Usman, chairman of the Center for Agricultural Food Studies and Advocacy, said the government must respond immediately to stop the spread of HMD. (DIT)

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.