Being an agro-based country, Myanmar’s farmers emphasize breeding of farming cattle with the supply of feedstuff for their convenience because these cattle are used in various kinds of farming works such as harrowing and ploughing as well as threshing paddy.
Foot and mouth disease is a terribly infectious disease for cloven-hoofed animals including farming cattle. As such, it is necessary to emphasize prevention and treatment of such kind of disease. it is highly infectious and can be spread by infected animals comparatively easily through contact with contaminated farming equipment, vehicles, clothing, and feed, and by domestic and wild predators. The virus causes a high fever lasting two to six days.
Hence, it is necessary to consider vaccination, strict monitoring, trade restrictions, quarantines, and the culling of both infected and healthy (uninfected) animals.
Hence, it is the onus for all the national people to inform health staff and veterinarians about infection of the disease in time so as to provide necessary treatments for saving the lives of farm animals.
In order to overcome the challenges, a plan is underway to establish the foot and mouth disease control zone in Nay Pyi Taw Council Area as part of serving the interests of the farmers. Generally, the infection of disease occurs in the monsoon.
Hence, the Department of Livestock Breeding and Veterinary decided to implement the foot and mouth disease in the zone pilot project with the State budget. The project will firstly cover Tatkon Township of Nay Pyi Taw Council Area.
Vaccination free of charge for fighting against the foot and mouth disease will firstly cover 52 villages of Tatkon Township where the disease happened within the last five years. Veterinarians and animal health workers started the vaccination for more than 27,000 farming animals and collection of blood samples from farming cattle with more plan to inject vaccine for the FMD to the animals from other townships in Nay Pyi Taw Council Area.
Only when farming animals are free from any infectious disease which may cause hindrances to farming works in addition to the livestock sector, will the agricultural productivity not decline against the target yields.
In fact, both humans and animals need healthcare services relying on medical doctors and health staff and veterinarians. Hence, it is the onus for all the national people to inform health staff and veterinarians about infection of the disease in time so as to provide necessary treatments for saving the lives of farm animals.
