Nicosia, Cyprus. Turkish Cypriot authorities said 10,000 doses of a foot-and-mouth disease vaccine sent to the Republic of Cyprus have been delivered and received. They said a further 10,000 doses are to be delivered in the coming days.
Vaccine delivery and planned additional shipment
The north’s ‘agriculture ministry’ said on Wednesday that 10,000 vaccine doses had been delivered and received by the Republic. ‘Minister’ Huseyin Cavus said on Tuesday that 20,000 doses were to be delivered in total, and the ‘ministry’ said the remaining 10,000 are to arrive “in the coming days”.
Warnings about outbreak and response
Cavus said he had been warning the Republic of Cyprus’ authorities about the disease since December, when an outbreak was detected in the village of Ayios Sergios, between Famagusta and Trikomo. He said he had “shared serious concerns” at the time that the disease may have already spread to the Republic, adding that for a long time the response he received was: “there are no cases in our country”.
Call for coordination
Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman briefly referenced the sending of vaccines during a press conference held after his meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides on Tuesday. He said, “It cannot be that there is one thing in the north and another in the south,” adding that there is a risk of the disease spreading on both sides and that it is necessary to act in coordination. He said the matter would be handled by the relevant bicommunal technical committees.
What steps do you think should be taken to strengthen coordination on animal disease control across Cyprus?
