Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) was proclaimed eradicated in Indonesia in 1986, thus it came as a surprise when officials revealed in early May that the deadly disease had spread among cows in East Java.
President Joko Widodo issued an order to the agriculture minister on May 9 to implement a regional cow lockdown to prevent the disease from spreading.
He also asked the national police chief to keep an eye on cattle transportation out of areas where FMD cases have been discovered.
"Form a task force, so that it is clear who will be in charge," Jokowi, as the president is popularly known, said at the time.
However, the disease spread to 16 of the 34 provinces, afflicting at least 20,723 cows as of May 22. These provinces have a total of 5.4 million cows.
Farmers who had cows infected with FMD lost income since they had to slaughter the afflicted animals. Cattle have died in a few rare cases.
There are also concerns that there would be insufficient livestock for Idul Adha, an important Islamic festival in which Muslims slaughter animals and distribute the meat to the impoverished.
According to the World Organization for Animal Health, FMD is a highly contagious viral illness of livestock that has a substantial economic impact (WOAH).
It is not to be confused with human hand, foot, and mouth disease.
FMD affects cattle, swine, sheep, goats and other cloven-hoofed ruminants. Infected animals develop fever, blisters between the toes and on the heels, mammary glands, and the lips or tongue, preventing them from walking, standing, feeding, or eating, according to the WOAH.
FMD is not easily transmitted to people in general.
It's caused by an Aphthovirus from the Picornaviridae family that's spread through direct contact with infected and vulnerable animals, particularly through inhalation of infectious aerosols.
The WOAH also lists direct contact of susceptible animals with fomites such as hands or clothing, intake of untreated contaminated meat products, ingestion of contaminated milk, artificial insemination with contaminated sperm, and long-distance airborne distribution.
Authorities have yet to determine the source of the ailment, but East Java Governor Khofifah Indra Parawansa said the first case this year was discovered in Gresik on Apr. 28.
Meanwhile, the government is accelerating the development of an FMD vaccine in order to prevent the disease from spreading further. The vaccination should be available in August.
