FMD vaccination for cattle in Riau to prevent an outbreak (© FAO/Alia Dwirahmani)

Jakarta, March 2024 - The Ministry of Agriculture, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and with support from the Australian Government, has accelerated the vaccination programme against Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) in eight districts across five provinces, such as Indragiri Hulu District (Riau), Sukabumi District (West Java), Barru District (South Sulawesi), Central Lombok and East Lombok Districts (West Nusa Tenggara), and Pati, Rembang, and Wonogiri Districts (Central Java). A total of 58,448 livestock including cattle, dairy cows, goats and sheep have been successfully vaccinated through this vaccination programme which ran from February to March 2024.

"We are accelerating vaccination in livestock-dense areas, especially in livestock producers’ areas with high livestock traffic," said Nasrullah, Director General of Livestock and Animal Health Services of the Ministry of Agriculture. He stated that vaccination is not only conducted in these areas, but also carried out in other areas which infected with FMD.

Nasrullah further explained that this accelerated vaccination program includes asking the district office to set up a team of vaccinators in each target location to map the vaccination areas, animals, and numbers of livestock that need to be vaccinated, as well as plan educational activities for breeders. "I hope that from these activities, the district government and the vaccinator team, as well as all parties involved will together be committed to encouraging PMK vaccination in the field," he explained.

In May 2022, Indonesia reported its first re-emergence of an FMD outbreak affecting the livestock population since it was declared FMD-free in 1990. The National Disaster Management Agency, Indonesia declared a national emergency from 29 June 2022 until 31 December 2022 due to the high spread of FMD in almost all provinces in Indonesia. The outbreak caused significant losses to both the livestock population and the livelihood of rural communities.

On a separate occasion, Director of Animal Health, Nuryani Zainuddin, stated that FMD cases are still being reported from several provinces. Zainuddin emphasised that the emergence of FMD cases indicates that the virus is still circulating, therefore the possibility of disease transmission is still possible. "FMD is caused by a virus for which there is currently no effective treatment, thus, the best course of action that can be taken is prevention by periodic vaccination every six months," she said.

"Our team went directly to the field to optimise the acceleration of vaccination to assist and monitor the implementation of vaccination", Zainuddin further added. Accelerated vaccination activities are planned to be carried out in stages in potential areas until the Eid al-Adha holiday. This vaccination effort is to anticipate a spike in FMD cases, which could result in losses for farmers as sick cattle approach the harvest period during the holidays.

A cattle farmer in Rembang District, Central Java, Imah, felt the benefits of this vaccination programme, “My cattle have been vaccinated three times and have never been ill since. The government also provided vitamins for feed,” Imah said. This FMD vaccination program has overall improved livestock health and prevented possible outbreaks.

"The Indonesian Government, in collaboration with FAO and with the support of the Australian Government, has undertaken a number of initiatives to contain FMD, which has helped protect the high-risk groups, affected communities, and livestock value chain. Vaccination is one of the key actions to control FMD, and collaboration is required to accelerate vaccination in various regions of Indonesia,” said Rajendra Aryal, FAO Representative in Indonesia and Timor-Leste. ”FAO will continue to work together to support the Indonesian Government in these efforts by providing technical assistance on FMD outbreak detection, investigation, surveillance, and response”, Aryal further added.

Dr. Beth Cookson, Australian Chief Veterinary Officer, emphasised that the vaccination programme is expected to strengthen animal health resilience in the region, providing sustainability and an effective response to high-impact transboundary animal diseases (TADs). “Recent outbreaks of FMD in livestock populations in Indonesia highlight the importance of reporting mechanisms and responsive disease outbreak management to reduce the impact of future outbreaks. The Australian Government, through the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, supported the implementation of the FMD vaccination programme together with the Indonesian Government and FAO,” said Cookson.

Dr. Cookson also praised the collaborative approach to the FMD vaccination programme. “Australia has supplied 4 million doses of FMD vaccine and is committed to supporting Indonesia in its response to FMD. Collaboration across agencies and governments along with engagement with livestock owners has seen a promising outcome for animal health and community livelihoods in FMD impacted areas of Indonesia.”