‘Vigilance continues over foot-and-mouth disease cases’
Authorities remain on high alert three weeks after foot-and-mouth disease was detected in Lapathos in Famagusta district, said veterinary services head, Christodoulos Pipis.
Speaking to state broadcaster CyBC, Pipis said no further cases have been reported beyond the three initially identified.
He added that the first phase of cattle vaccinations in the North have been completed, with the second phase set to follow. Vaccinations for small ruminants will also begin shortly.
Surveillance has been intensified on farms within a three-kilometre radius along the buffer zone, Pipis said. Veterinary officers continue to collect samples systematically to identify any possible suspicious cases through laboratory testing.
Pipis also reiterated that livestock farmers must implement strict measures to prevent the virus from spreading to free areas.
The first outbreak was reported at a farm in Ayios Sergios village in Famagusta district in late December, followed by four more cases at a livestock unit in Lapithos confirmed by Ankara’s Foot and Mouth Research Institute.
No cases have been confirmed in the British Bases or the south, though the bases have introduced precautionary disinfection at Pergamos and Strovilia crossings.
An EU Commission veterinary emergency team also arrived in December to investigate the outbreaks at the two units.