Commission steps up support for foot and mouth in north
Five hundred thousand foot-and-mouth disease vaccines from the European antigen bank will be given to the Turkish Cypriot community to help it fight the disease, the European Commission said on Tuesday.
The move comes after an outbreak of foot and mouth was seen in the village of Lapathos in the north in December.
The Commission said the vaccines will be administered in the coming weeks with the aim of preventing further spread of the disease.
All susceptible animals are scheduled to be vaccinated as part of a comprehensive containment and prevention strategy, it added.
Since December, “stakeholders in the Turkish Cypriot community have taken a number of measures, such as imposing quarantine, restrictions on animal movement, as well as implementing disinfection protocols and strict biosecurity measures,” the Commission said.
It said it will continue to work closely with locals to strengthen preparedness, response capacity and biosecurity measures, with the aim of protecting animal health, and avoiding further outbreaks.
“This support builds on the EU’s long-standing cooperation with the Turkish Cypriot community in the field of animal health and disease prevention, allowing for a rapid and coordinated response to emerging risks,” the Commission said.
Foot and mo0uth disease is a severe, highly contagious viral disease of livestock affecting cattle, swine, sheep and goats.