Thai authority on alert against FMD outbreaks in livestocks

BANGKOK, November 23 (TNA) - The Thai Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is on high alert against outbreaks of food and mouth disease (FMD) among livestocks in the country. Sorawit Thanito, Director-General of the ministry's Department of Livestock Development, told journalists on Friday that the move is in an urgent response to reports on outbreaks of the FMD among cows, bulls, buffaloes, sheep, goats and pigs in some areas of all Thai regions. Sorawit said that the urgent response includes a strict control of any movement of the livestocks, through a one-month ban in the areas at risk during November 15-December 15, and a prevalent vaccination service given to the animals, aged from four months up, in the five-kilometer radius of all affected areas by veterinarians. Besides, livestocks found infected with the FMD are urgently and properly treated until they fully recover, while a limited entry, with sufficient disinfectant spraying applied, or a total no entry to livestock farms in the affected areas by outsiders and vehicles used to transport livestocks and droppings is strictly imposed, together with a suspension of sale of all dairy products from the affected areas, a close watch and a thorough screening of suspected cases until the situation returns to normal. According to the senior official, strict checks of livestock sources for people's consumption and for raising by local farmers, covering a quarantine of any new batch of the live animals for the standard 14 days, are also required. (TNA)