Cyprus foot‑and‑mouth spread

Cyprus’ foot-and-mouth outbreak has spread to 101 farms, widening a livestock emergency that authorities are trying to contain with culling and vaccination. (cyprus-mail.com) Cyprus’ veterinary services said on April 18 that the infected farms now include 13 cattle units, 86 sheep-and-goat units and two pig units. The latest cases were reported in Dromolaxia-Meneou near Larnaca, Yeri in Nicosia district and Paliometocho in Nicosia district. (cyprus-mail.com) The count has climbed quickly this month. Authorities reported 50 affected farming units on April 2 and 59 on April 7 before Saturday’s total reached 101. (cyprus-mail.com 1) (cyprus-mail.com 2) (cyprus-mail.com 3) Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious viral disease in cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and goats. It can shut export markets and trigger movement controls even though it is not generally considered a public-health threat on the scale of diseases that spread easily among people. (fao.org) In Cyprus, the outbreak has become a trade problem as well as an animal-health one because halloumi production depends on sheep and goat milk from regulated herds. Politico reported this month that European Union rules require infected herds supplying halloumi milk to be culled, pulling the disease into a wider dispute over production and controls on the island. (politico.eu) The European Commission said on February 11 that it sent 500,000 doses of foot-and-mouth vaccine, serotype SAT1, to the Republic of Cyprus for vaccination activities in the areas outside the government’s effective control. That shipment was the first vaccine delivery organized by the Commission since the start of the current European outbreak. (ec.europa.eu) Cyprus’ agriculture ministry has also built a public information campaign around the outbreak. On March 27, the ministry said it launched a dedicated foot-and-mouth website with disease rules, biosecurity guidance, reporting contacts and compensation details for affected livestock farmers. (cyprus-mail.com) The outbreak has already crossed species lines inside the livestock sector. Cyprus Mail reported the first confirmed pig-farm case on April 17, and by April 18 the total had risen to two pig farms, adding another layer to containment work because pigs, cattle, sheep and goats all fall within the disease’s host range. (in-cyprus.philenews.com) (cyprus-mail.com) For now, Cyprus’ response is centered on the same three tools it has used for weeks: testing, culling and vaccination. With the farm count now above 100, the next measure of progress is whether new detections slow in the containment zones around Larnaca and Nicosia. (cyprus-mail.com)