January 28, 2011

FAO calls on Asia to be alert in FMD spread

FAO is calling for Asian veterinary and border control authorities to be on alert for animals showing symptoms of Foot-and-mouth Disease (FMD), following an the outbreak of the disease in South Korea.

Juan Lubroth, FAO's Chief Veterinary Officer: "Authorities in Asia should make sure they are in a position to detect any instances of the disease and respond rapidly in an appropriate way. FAO is advocating proactive vaccination campaigns designed to stop the spread of the disease," he said.

"FMD must be tackled as a regional problem, which is why FAO through its Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific is planning to organize a meeting of chief veterinary officers of East Asian countries to discuss the current situation and possible coordinated responses," added Subhash Morzaria, Asia Region Manager of FAO's Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Disease Operations.

The overall situation in Asia is cause for concern, said Lubroth, especially given the approaching Lunar New Year holiday, during which large numbers of people will be on the move in the region, many of them carrying meat products and some transporting animals. "Emergency vaccination with the aim to disrupt disease transmission and assist progressive elimination is increasingly applied, particularly during the peak of an epidemic, so as to buy time during culling operations.

Since late November 2010, South Korean authorities have imposed quarantines, initiated a vaccination campaign that is targeting nine million pigs and three million heads of cattle, and culled 2.2 million livestock. The overall cost of this effort is estimated at around US$1.6 billion.