Cyprus says that it's planning to vaccinate thousands of goats, hogs, cows and sheep, as the island nation looks to slow a recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease that has affected 11 farms near the country's southern coast.
The Associated Press reports that Cyprus will also look to cull at least 13,000 sheep, and has already culled 263 cattle. The EU sent 500,000 doses of vaccines to the country on February 13, with EU officials set to oversee an initial batch of 10,000 vaccinations at livestock farms in a two-mile radius around the outbreak's epicenter. Crews have been sent to spray vehicles entering the exclusion zone with disinfectant as well.
“Strictly obeying biosecurity measures is absolutely essential as they are a key tool to containing the virus,” EU Agriculture and Environment Minister Maria Panayiotou said in a news conference.
Foot-and-mouth is a highly-infectious disease known to affect hoofed animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and deer. It has a near-100% morbidity rate within herds, while mortality typically remains low in adult animals, but can be higher for younger livestock. Although the virus poses no direct threat to human health, even a limited outbreak can trigger trade restrictions and significant economic losses, particularly for Cyprus's exports of halloumi cheese, which is made from goat and sheep milk. Cyprus exported an estimated €200 million ($236 million) worth of halloumi cheese last year, primarily to the EU, United Kingdom and Australia.
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