Bali records ‘zero’ foot and mouth cases but experts say disease lurks | ChrisBarrett_ ayu_2003
Indonesia is reporting zero cases of foot and mouth on Bali but experts warn the island is far from free of the dreaded livestock disease that threatens to infiltrate Australia to devastating effect.to prevent the virus spreading from Indonesia and causing an outbreak in Australia that could shut down the $27 billion live export trade and cost the economy as much as $80 billion.
Officers spray disinfectant in a shed at a Yogyakarta cattle farm where foot and mouth has previously been detected.However, with only 2 per cent of Bali’s 927,053 head of cattle and other livestock having been vaccinated, transmission from the tourism hotspot to Australia still poses a significant risk.
“Especially if there has been some slaughtering out, there might be a disincentive [for people] not to have their cattle slaughtered. There are more than 33 million head of livestock in the country, including 18 million cattle, according to its foot and mouth taskforce, and only 707,580 animals have been vaccinated during the outbreak.
“Such direct communication - hopefully constantly maintained - is key to ensure optimum coordination, effective action and to prevent unwanted policy surprises.”
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