Over 500,000 FMD vaccines arrive from EU

The delivery of 529,000 vaccines against Foot and Mouth disease have been handed over to Cyprus by the European Union, Health Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi confirmed on Saturday night.

“529,000 vaccine doses from the EU vaccines bank arrived in Cyprus today to help fight foot and mouth disease,” he said in a social media post.

“The commission supports the Cyprus authorities in their huge efforts to control the consequences of the outbreak.

“Respect for strict biosecurity rules by all stakeholders is essential to prevent further spread of the disease,” he added.

The doses back up 60,000 given by the Turkish Cypriot community at the end of last week, which it had received from the EU in December to fight an outbreak of FMD there.

All cows within a 3km radius of the first reported case were initially vaccinated, which is now being followed by those within a 10km radius. After cows have been vaccinated, pigs will be followed by sheep and goats.

Their arrivals follows the start of burial of culled animals, which began on Saturday.

The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in areas of Larnaca last month was earlier confirmed to be the same serotype as that circulating in the north.