Foot-and-mouth outbreak detected near Famagusta

An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease has been detected on a farm in the Famagusta district village of Ayios Sergios, the Cyprus Turkish veterinarians’ association said on Monday.

It explained that the north’s veterinary department had conducted examinations and collected samples following a tip-off about the animals in the village, and that with the diagnosis having been made, “all necessary measures will be taken and implemented”.

These measures, it said, include “quarantine, vaccination, disinfection, both farm and individual biosecurity measures, and control and restrictions on animal security and movement”.

In specifics, it said the movement of animals from Ayios Sergios “has been stopped”, and that the movement of people and animal products in and out of the village “has been ensured in a controlled manner within the scope of quarantine measures”, before making a list of suggestions for how the outbreak should be managed.

It said that “all movement of breeding cattle and sheep across the country must be halted for at least one month”, and that it must be ensured that all producers and livestock transporters comply with that rule.

The movement of livestock for slaughter, it said, “must be ensured in a way which directs them directly from the farms to the slaughterhouse, while it suggested that disinfection stations be installed at the entrances of slaughterhouses, livestock farms and dairy production facilities.

It also suggested that disinfection stations be installed “along routes determined by local municipalities’ veterinary departments” and at the entrances of feed factories and dairy production facilities, and that every vehicle carrying live animals and animal products be disinfected and documented.

All personnel working in the sector, it said, “must adhere to hygiene rules and carry out disinfection procedures at the entrances and exits of livestock farms”. It also added that the “unnecessary movement of people and the entry and exit of unrelated individuals to farms should be prevented as much as possible”.

It said that the inspection of vehicles which transport animals and animal products should be the responsibility of the police, and that local veterinary departments “must be informed immediately if any disease is suspected”.

It then appealed to the public, saying that “people should disregard panic-inducing news and social media posts, and instead trust the announcements made by the Cyprus Turkish veterinarians’ association as the authorised and responsible official body and professional group in this matter”.

“We would like to inform the public that, provided that the necessary precautions are followed and considering that foot-and-mouth disease can only cause severe economic damage in the livestock sector, we have no hesitation in declaring that there is no risk to public health in consuming local meat and dairy products,” it said.

According to the United States’ animal and plant health inspection service, foot-and-mouth disease is “a severe, fast-spreading viral disease which primarily affects cloven-hoofed animals, including cows, pigs, sheep, goats and deer”.

It also stressed that foot-and-mouth disease is “not a human health or food safety threat”, and that it “is not related” to the similarly named hand, foot and mouth disease, which it said is a “common childhood illness caused by a different virus”.

The disease causes farm animals to suffer from fever and “severe lameness” from blisters on their hooves, mouths, noses and teats, as well as excessive drooling, a sudden drop in milk production, and a loss of appetite, among other symptoms.