Nicosia, Cyprus. Four Slovak veterinarians have arrived in Cyprus and been granted temporary licences to assist authorities responding to an ongoing outbreak of foot and mouth disease. The licences are intended to support efforts to expedite livestock culling and related response measures.
Temporary licences and assigned duties
The veterinary council confirmed on Tuesday morning that temporary licences have been granted and that the veterinary services department may utilise the veterinarians’ assistance in implementing vaccinations, carrying out sampling and conducting epidemiological investigations.
A spokesperson for the Slovak embassy in Nicosia told the Cyprus Mail the veterinarians were sent after Slovakia’s Agriculture Minister Richard Takac offered their services to his Cypriot counterpart Maria Panayiotou. The embassy spokesperson also confirmed the Slovak veterinarians will assist in culling efforts.
Slovakia’s support and experience
The embassy spokesperson said Takac expressed support and solidarity with the Republic of Cyprus following the outbreak and noted that Slovakia has faced a similar challenge since March last year.
They said Slovakia, through coordinated efforts of competent authorities, managed to prevent further spread of the disease and mitigate its adverse impact on farmers, and that Takac offered to share knowledge, expertise and practical experience gained in addressing the situation.
Latest situation and exclusion zones
Earlier on Tuesday, veterinary services department spokeswoman Sotiria Georgiadou said no new cases had been identified since Monday. She said three- and ten-kilometre exclusion zones have been demarcated following the detection of the disease in Yeri and Dhali, in the Nicosia district.
Georgiadou told the Cyprus News Agency it is worrying that the disease has spread after initially being detected only in the Larnaca district.
Concerns about further spread
Later on Tuesday, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis was asked whether there is a risk of foot and mouth disease spreading beyond the Larnaca and Nicosia districts. He said there is certainly this concern.
What steps do you think authorities should prioritise to prevent foot and mouth disease spreading beyond the affected districts?
