We have issued a letter extending the closure of animal markets until June 20, which was originally scheduled (to end) on June 4, 2022

Praya, West Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA) – The government of Lombok Central District, West Nusa Tenggara, has announced that it has extended the closure of local animal markets to prevent the spread of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) among livestock .

“We have issued a letter extending the closure of animal markets until June 20, which was originally (to end) on June 4, 2022,” the head of the Central Bureau of Agriculture and Livestock said on Tuesday. Lombok, Lalu Taufikurahman.

The closure of the animal market has been extended as cases of foot and mouth disease in central Lombok continue to spread. Thus, the measure was taken to prevent further infections. The increase in FMD cases in central Lombok has been quite high. According to the data, the disease has infected 4,700 head of cattle, and 2,200 head of cattle have recovered.

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“This is the total number of foot-and-mouth disease cases in one month, from when they were discovered after Eid until now. In just one week, there were 700 more cases,” he said. he noted.

Besides offering treatment, his administration is constantly educating the public and promoting herbal treatment for infected animals to improve their condition.

“(Since) the drugs are lacking, so we also do herbal treatment by giving brown sugar, turmeric and tamarind water to cattle with foot-and-mouth disease,” he informed.

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To anticipate the rampant spread of the epidemic, the regional government has made various efforts, such as administering vitamins and antibiotics as well as spraying disinfectants.

In addition, the district government has closed all animal markets, started monitoring slaughterhouses and restricted the distribution of livestock.

“We have also put cages in compounds that have been infected with the foot-and-mouth outbreak. (place cattle) in isolation. No cattle are allowed to be released or sold,” Taufikurahman added.

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