KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has made it mandatory for veterinary offices statewide to carry out rigorous medical inspections on all types of livestock bound for other districts to prevent foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said this was among the steps taken by the state government to prevent FMD that has afflicted neighbouring Indonesia.

It was recently reported that Indonesia is coping with a re-emergence of FMD, which afflicts cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep, pigs and goats, with the first case detected there on April 28.

In the following weeks, thousands of cattle in six districts in Aceh and East Java provinces had reportedly been infected with the highly contagious viral disease, resulting in the death of more than a dozen animals. 

“Sabah is already fighting African Swine Fever (ASF). FMD must be avoided at all costs,” said Dr Jeffrey, who is also state Agriculture and Fisheries Minister.

He said his ministry also required all livestock movement to other districts to be documented using movement forms or certificates issued by the state Veterinary Services Department with the animals' health condition clearly described.

The forms and certificates can be obtained from the department's district offices, he added.

Dr Jeffrey said livestock farmers should adopt strict biosecurity requirements such as vehicle-mounted sprayers, quarantining foreign workers particularly those from Indonesia before allowing them to work, and prohibiting visitors on their farms.

“At this time, do not bring in additional livestock or meat products from neighbouring countries with FMD cases into your farms,” he added.

He said that Sabah was currently free of FMD, a status recognised internationally by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) since 2005.

Meanwhile, Sabah Veterinary Services Department director Dr Normah Yusop advised breeders to be on the lookout for FMD symptoms in their livestock.

The disease is characterised by high fever that declines rapidly after two to three days, blisters inside the mouth that lead to excessive secretion of stringy or foamy saliva and drooling, and blisters on the feet that may rupture and cause lameness.

“If you notice any of these symptoms in your livestock, please contact the department immediately. We need to contain this infection because it has the potential to wipe out our modest livestock industry,” she warned.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/05/20/compulsory-medical-inspections-on-all-sabah-livestock-to-curb-fmd