Amman, The first phase of the action plan for controlling the spread of foot and mouth disease was launched Friday in the vicinity of the outbreak hotspot within the areas of Al-Dhulail, northeast of Amman, and Al-Khalidiya, northern Jordan.
The vaccination campaign began in the areas surrounding the hotspot and the most vulnerable to infection, which were identified according to the plan to deal with the spread of foot and mouth disease. The plan also includes surrounding areas far from the hotspots and then the areas closest to the center of the hotspots.
Minister of Agriculture, Khalid Hneifat, told the Jordan News Agency (Petra) that the his ministry took into account the biosecurity measures during the vaccination process, through the use of special clothing in each farm and the use of disinfectants before and after entering the farms that were vaccinated and included all participants, vehicles and equipment, in addition to avoid duplicating teams and assigning a team for each farm.
Hneifat added that this vaccination is the first stage of the process of containing the disease, indicating that the second stage will include the animals closest to the epicenter of the disease, and these measures are aligned with locking down the affected area and the permanent sterilization tracks for vehicles entering and leaving the main roads.
He noted that the Ministry of Agriculture is scheduled to receive experts in epidemiology from the reference laboratory in Italy to verify and follow up on the ministry’s measures in containing the disease.
All measures, Hneifat emphasized, were carried out under the supervision of an expert from the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) and in cooperation with the private sector.
The second batch of the special vaccines is expected to arrive early next week, Hneifat concluded.
Source: Jordan News Agency