Malang (malangkota.go.id) – Brawijaya University (UB) academician drh. Dyah Ayu Oktavianie, AP, M.Biotech appealed to the public not to worry about the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak that is attacking livestock in several areas in East Java.
"The public does not need to worry because FMD is not a zoonotic disease and until now there have been no cases of transmission to humans in Indonesia," said Dyah, who is also the Dean of FKH UB on Saturday (14/5/2022).
Dyah emphasized that people can still consume beef and cow's milk with perfect processing. "This is what people must understand that there is no need to be afraid of consuming meat and milk, but they must pay attention to the proper processing of meat and milk so that the virus becomes inactive," she said.
In an effort to handle and prevent the spread of FMD outbreaks in livestock, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (FKH) UB is ready to contribute. Cooperation with related agencies and the Indonesian Veterinary Doctors Association (PDHI) East Java II in health examination and livestock treatment activities, as well as education to cattle and goat livestock groups and Village Unit Cooperatives (KUD) in the Malang Raya area.
"We are ready to assist the government in handling the FMD outbreak by deploying veterinary medical personnel in the faculty. We will also provide education in the form of Information and Education Communication or KIE which aims to provide information related to the handling of livestock affected by FMD," he said.
Dyah added that through the efforts that have been made, it is hoped that there will be no panic that leads to wrong decisions by livestock breeders or slaughterers to sell animals affected by FMD at prices below market prices.
"In addition, in our IEC, we will also provide an understanding to the public regarding how to process meat and milk properly, so that it remains safe for consumption," he said.
Dyah added that Indonesia has actually been declared free from Foot and Mouth Disease since the 1990s. The current outbreak likely originated from the movement of livestock or animal-based food from outside Indonesia.
"Therefore, the government is currently imposing regional restrictions, especially on livestock traffic in the outbreak area, so that the FMD outbreak that has occurred since the end of April does not spread further," he said.
Meanwhile, for cattle that are currently indicated to have FMD, Dyah said they can be given vitamins to increase their immune system, symptomatic therapy, and antibiotics to treat secondary infections.
"The virus attacks livestock that have low immunity, and in young cattle it can result in death. So the mortality rate in young cattle or calves is quite high," he said. (say/ram)
