Foot-and-mouth outbreak contained within 22 units

The spread of foot-and-mouth disease in Cyprus remains confined to 22 livestock units in the Larnaca district, authorities confirmed on Tuesday, with culling and vaccination operations ongoing to prevent further infections.

Veterninary services spokeswoman Sotiria Georgiadou said that by Monday night, around 1,300 sheep and goats had been culled in Aradippou and Livadia, with another 2,700 scheduled on Tuesday.

“Today the situation is stable. Epidemiological investigations, sampling and laboratory tests are continuing with negative results so far,” she said.

Vaccinations are progressing under the supervision of private veterinarians, with an additional 26,000 doses procured to cover 42 units within the infected zone.

Georgiadou confirmed that a total of 529,000 vaccine doses for sheep, goats and cattle arrived from France before regional airport closures, with distribution to private veterinarians beginning immediately.

“Almost all units within a three-kilometre radius of the first cases have now been vaccinated,” she added.

Authorities are simultaneously assessing the market value of infected animals, feed, hay and milk to calculate compensation for farmers.

Georgiadou stressed that culling is mandatory under animal health legislation.

“You don’t go and kill an animal or a herd unless you have a laboratory result that tells you that the unit is infected,” she insisted, adding that animals will also be culled if they become infected after vaccination.

The veterinary services continue to monitor all infected and surrounding units, enforcing strict biosecurity, cleaning, and protection measures.

“So far we have no other cases other than those in the 22 units in the Larnaca district. If there are suspicions, it is good to report them. We are investigating and tracing both the animals and the suspicions,” Georgiadou said.

Georgiadou repeated cautious optimism that the outbreak can be controlled.

“If we manage to contain cases within the infected area, we have very high hopes of controlling the virus and ending the culling procedures. We will continue with vaccinations and slowly lead to a smoother situation,” she said.

Farmers have been urged to adhere strictly to movement restrictions and biosecurity measures, including police authorisation for all animal movements and a ban on hunting and grazing.