Is it Safe to Eat Beef Exposed to FMD Outbreaks?

According to the Deputy Dean for Cooperation and Publication of FKH Unair, the existence of PMK is very detrimental to the economy. For example, if the disease attacks dairy cows, milk production will decrease drastically so that people will lose a lot.

“But if it attacks beef cattle, it will cause difficulty eating and cause thinness. As a result, the selling value will fall,” he said.

FMD virus is a virus if it attacks cattle it can heal itself. When days 14 to 21 pass there will be a good level of healing. “Having recovered has improved. So, the mortality rate is very low for adult cattle,” he added.

This is different if FMD attacks a calf that is six months old. The level of morality (death) is very high, reaching 50-60 percent.

“This is because the virus in calves does not only attack the random legs, but is able to penetrate the myocardium of the heart muscle of the calf, so that if the calf dies, there will be spots on its heart,” he said.

In handling it, although PMK is still being studied by various parties, Prof. Mostopha judged that there were two ways to do it. Namely by making vaccines from local isolates and using disinfectants for infected animals.

“Furthermore, infected animals must be quarantined so as not to spread the virus to other farm animals. That way the spread can be controlled,” he said.

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