ALERT: Foot and Mouth Disease, Serotype O, Bovine, Colombia

While South America is reaching final stage of FMD control and aims to eradicate the disease in the region, FMD outbreaks were notified to the OIE by the official Veterinary Services of the Ministry of Agriculture of Colombia (Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario – ICA). An alert has been issued by OIRSA (Organismo Internacional Regional de Sanidad Agropecuaria) to veterinary services in the Latin America and the Caribbean. CaribVET is following the evolution of the situation and will share relevant information with its members.

According to the immediate notification sent on 23 June to the OIE by Dr Luis Humberto Martínez Lacouture from the Colombian Ministry of Agriculture, the FMD free status obtained since 2009 was supended in most part of the country.

Maps of outbreak locations

FMD_Outbreaks_06-2107
FMD_Outbreak_14-07-2107
FMD_Outbreak_11-06-2107

Source : WAHIS Interface, OIE

Control measures

The control measures recommanded by OIE include 1 :

  •  Movement control inside the country
  •  Surveillance outside containment and/or protection zone
  •  Surveillance within containment and/or protection zone
  •  Traceability
  •  Quarantine
  •  Disinfection
  •  Vaccination permitted
  •  No treatment of affected animal
  • Official destruction of animal products
  •  Official disposal of carcasses, by-products and waste
  •  Stamping out
  •  Zoning

The Organismo Internacional Regional de Sanidad Agropecuaria ( OIRSA ) has issued an alert and several communications for the regional Veterinary Services of the Latin America and the Caribbean in order to adopt prevention measures for animal commodities, passengers and airplanes coming from Colombia. In its last communication (July 28), OIRSA alerted Mexico, Central America and Dominican Republic to maintain proper prevention means until Colombia gets the official FMD free status by the OIE.
Measures should include adequate communication with passengers and airlines about the risks involved.

Recommendations from OIRSA include:

  1. Place disinfectant mats so passengers and crew walk on these on exiting plane
  2. Do not allow garbage from planes from Colombia to be unloaded. If authorized to enter then strictly control until disposed of adequately.
  3. Conduct thorough inspection of passengers’ baggage.
  4. Disinfect (external) cargo containers from Colombia.
  5. Strengthen vesicular surveillance: placing vesicular diseases under alert, strengthen internal and border quarantine, public awareness to encourage notification of suspect cases.

See full text and references

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