Outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease reported among cattle in Kyaukphyu Twsp

By Admin 13 Jul 2023

DMG Newsroom
13 July 2023, Kyaukphyu

An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease has been reported among cattle across several villages in Arakan State’s Kyaukphyu Township.

Around 20 head of cattle were reported to have died from the disease in Kyaukphyu Township’s Thaingchaung, Ngalonesu and Chaungwa village-tracts.

“Some 200 cows are suffering from foot-and-mouth disease and five died of the disease. Local farmers are facing difficulties as they still mainly use cows to plough their fields, and now is the monsoon paddy cultivation season,” said U San Kyaw Wau, the administrator of Thaingchaung Village.

Foot-and-mouth disease is contagious and can spread to other cattle. Farmers say the hooves and mouths of infected cows are putrid and swollen.

“Some are having their cattle treated by veterinarians. As it is the rainy season, the cows’ hooves are covered with mud, and they don’t recover quickly,”  said U Maung Lone Khin, a local man from Ngalonesu Village. “Cows infected with foot-and-mouth disease also foam at the mouth and are in such bad condition that people cannot come near them.”

Farmers said outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease were reported in Kyaukphyu Township in April and May in previous years, and not in recent memory was an outbreak reported during the rainy season.

U Wai Saw Aung, a local man from Kalarbar Village in Chaungwa Village-tract, said that during the farming season, the cows are sick, and there are business impacts for farmers.

“Cattle infected with foot-and-mouth disease are not recovering well, and some have not yet ploughed their farms. Some people can’t afford to rent a tractor to plough,” he added.

U Aung Hsan Win, an official from the Kyaukphyu Township Livestock and Veterinary Science Department, said that since it is the monsoon season, cattle infected with foot-and-mouth disease need to be properly cared for. If farmers notify the village administration, these cattle will be treated, he added.

Foot-and-mouth disease is a progressive disease that affects the brain and nervous system of cattle, and is usually transmitted by eating contaminated feed. 

Several cows died during a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak across several villages in Manaung Township in July 2022, and many cattle died after an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease was reported in at least 10 villages of Myebon Township in February 2022.