Universitas Brawijaya (UB) academician, drh. Dyah Ayu Oktavianie, A.P., M. Biotech. urges the public not to worry about an outbreak of Mouth and Nail Disease (PMK) that attacks Livestock in several areas in East Java.
“People don’t need to worry since PMK is not a zoonotic disease and until now there has been no case of transmission to humans in Indonesia,” said Dyah who is also the Dean of FKH UB.
Dyah emphasized that people can still consume beef and cow’s milk with perfect processing.
“This must be understood by the public that there is no need to be afraid of consuming meat and milk, but care must be taken to process meat and milk properly so that the virus becomes inactive,” he said.
In an effort to handle and prevent the spread of PMK outbreaks in livestock, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (FKH) UB is ready to contribute. Cooperation with related agencies and the Association of Indonesian Veterinarians (PDHI) East Java II in the activities of health checks and treatment of livestock, as well as education for groups of cattle and goats and Village Unit Cooperatives (KUD) in the area of Malang Raya and Batu City.
“We are ready to assist the government in handling the PMK outbreak by deploying veterinary medical personnel in the Faculty. We will also conduct education in the form of Information Communication and Education or KIE which aims to provide information regarding the handling of livestock affected by FMD,” he said.
Dyah added, through the efforts that have been made, it is hoped that there will be no panic that will lead to wrong decisions by breeders or butchers to sell animals affected by PMK at prices below market prices.
“In addition, in KIE, we will also provide understanding to the public regarding how to process meat and milk properly, so that they are still safe for consumption,” she said.
Dyah added, actually Indonesia has been declared free from Mouth and Nail Diseases since the 1990s.
The current outbreak may originate from the traffic of livestock or food of animal origin originating from outside Indonesia.
“Therefore, the government is currently imposing regional restrictions, especially the traffic of livestock in the outbreak area, rather the PMK outbreak that has occurred since the end of last April is less widespread,” he said.
Meanwhile, for cows that are currently indicated to have PMK, Dyah said that vitamins can be given to increase body resistance, symptomatic therapy, and antibiotics to treat secondary infections.
“The virus attacks livestock that have low immune systems, and in young cattle it can cause death. So the mortality rate in young cattle or calves is quite high,” he said. (OKY/Humas UB/ Trans. Iir).
