Waiting for FMD Vaccine

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

Cattles infected with foot and mouth disease in Sembung Village, Wringinanom District, Gresik Regency, East Java, Wednesday (11/5/2022).

The treatment of foot and mouth disease (FMD) is now failing to outpace the availability of sacrificial animals. Idul Adha is fast approaching, but the vaccine is not yet available.

Since the first case of FMD, which is also known as hoof-and-mouth disease (HMD), was first detected in East Java at the end of April, the disease has spread to 180 regencies/cities in 18 provinces, according to data published in the Agriculture Ministry at 03.15 p.m. Indonesian Western Time. A total of 698 animals died and 109,236 others have not yet recovered.

The animals that are infected include 107,016 cows; 1,546 buffalo; 239 goats; and 435 sheep. These are the types of animals generally used as sacrificial animals. The data also show that no animal has been vaccinated. This daily reported that the government was currently preparing the vaccines to further curb the spread of the contagious disease, both imported vaccines and domestically produced vaccines.

Also read:

> Supply of Sacrificial Cows Affected by Restrictions

> Government Set to Contain FMD Infection Zone

The Agriculture Ministry will import about 3 million doses of the vaccine from France for emergency needs. The Veterinary Farma Center (Pusvetma) Surabaya is preparing to produce a domestic vaccine of 1 million doses by December 2022.

Pusvetma's production capacity is much smaller than in the 1980s when the FMD outbreak occurred in Indonesia. The head of Pusvetma, Edy Budi Susila, as quoted by Kompas, said that in the 1980s the production of PMK vaccine amounted to about 5 million doses. At that time, the FMD outbreak received direct attention from former president Soeharto until it was totally eradicated in 1990. As reported in the Kompas daily on 3 Aug. 1983, the FMD outbreak began in Blora Regency, Central Java in May 1983. Former president Soeharto was delayed in receiving reports about the FMD outbreak, namely on 1 Aug., 1983.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

A worker feeds grass for sacrificial cows in Setiamekar Village, Tambun Selatan District, Bekasi Regency, West Java, Friday (10/6/2022). The cattle sold have been vaccinated and are undergoing quarantine to prevent foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks.

The president immediately provided presidential assistance funds (banpres) of Rp 420 million (US$28,500) for the eradication of the livestock diseases in the state budget. The funds were used to import vaccines from Australia and antibiotics, as well as other means to eradicate FMD. The FMD vaccination program was launched in the same month of August 1983.

Currently, a month after President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo received the report of the FMD outbreak, the vaccine is still being processed. Consumers need healthy sacrificial animals. Therefore, the government needs to inform the public on how to obtain healthy sacrificial animals.

Also read:

> Preventive Measures Needed to Curb Surging FMD Cases

Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo inspected, on Friday, the arrival of 553 cattle from East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) to meet the need for sacrificial animals in Jakarta and its surroundings. The sacrificial animals are procured from NTT because the province is still considered free of FMD. The ministry’s Livestock and Animal Health Director Nasrullah said Indonesia needed at least 2.2 sacrificial animals this year.

The movement of sacrificial animals across various areas cannot be avoided, and will make the effort to curb the spread of the animal disease more difficult. It will become a dilemma; namely, how to provide healthy sacrificial animals at affordable prices, yet at the same time control the spread of the FMD virus. Otherwise, the FMD outbreak will escalate and the economic losses will be even greater.

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.