Getting to Know the FMD Outbreak and Its Effect on Humans

KOMPAS.com – Plague mouth and nail disease (PMK) is a disease that attacks livestock. This epidemic is sometimes called the plague cow because they attack cows a lot. What are the symptoms and what are the dangers?

Diseases of the mouth and nails is a disease caused by a virus and is highly contagious. The most visible symptoms are fever, blisters on the mouth and feet of farm animals, and thick saliva. livestock who can be affected FMD outbreak including cattle, buffalo, camels, goats, sheep, deer, and pigs.

FMD is generally not lethal to adult livestock. However, for young animals, FMD can be very serious and cause very high production losses.

Causes of the PMK outbreak

PMK is caused by Aphthovirus from family Picornaviridae. There are seven serotypes of the virus that have been detected, namely A, O, C, SAT1, SAT2, SAT3, and Asia1. All of these serotypes are endemic in different countries around the world. Each country requires a different vaccine for specific livestock according to the serotype that exists in that country.

According to World Organisation for Animal Health, FMD outbreaks are estimated to have spread to about 77 percent of the livestock population in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and parts of South America. This virus is easily transmitted through breath, saliva, mucus, milk, and feces.

Effect of PMK on livestock

FMD is a very torturous disease for cattle and other livestock. Blisters or large sacs filled with water that develop on the skin, if they break, they will leave open sores that are very sore. Even these wounds take up to 10 days to heal.

If this injury occurs in the leg, it will make it difficult for the cow to walk to the place to eat. In addition, sores in the mouth will make the cow not want to eat and drink.

Cow Adults may start eating after a few days. However, young cows or other livestock will suffocate due to not getting enough food during illness.

Read also: PMK Outbreak of Cattle Infection, PDHI Urges Government to Lockdown 4-legged Animals Now

What is the effect of FMD on humans?

Reported from Agriculture Victoria, FMD is not considered a health problem for humans because transmission from animals to humans is very rare. However, humans can carry the virus alive in their nose for 24 hours and transmit it to other animals.

PMK in English is known as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) so often miscalculated equal to Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD) or the Singapore flu which mostly affects children. Though both are different diseases and come from different viruses.

Get updates news of choice and breaking news every day from Kompas.com. Let’s join the Telegram group “Kompas.com News Update”, how to click the link https://t.me/kompascomupdate, then join. You must first install the Telegram application on your cellphone.–