Cyprus is happy to report a break in the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. No new cases were found recently. This good news comes as vets work hard. They are killing infected animals and taking many samples. Their main goal is to stop the virus from spreading. Even though there are no new cases, officials say people must stay careful. They must follow all the rules.
So far, 42 cases of the disease have been found. Vets are looking back at animal movements since January. This was before the first case was found in February. This careful work helps find where the virus came from. It also helps find any hidden places where the virus might be. A senior vet, Sotiria Georgiadou, said they want to find where the virus was. They also want to find where old antibodies are. This will help them stop the spread.
Killing infected animals is going well. Some weather problems caused small delays. However, much work is done. All cattle in Geri have been killed. New pits are being dug in Dali for more work. Vets are also getting ready for more vaccinations. This might start next week or by the end of March. Special vaccines for pigs will arrive soon. About 85% of cattle are now vaccinated. Less than half of sheep and goats are vaccinated.
Ms. Georgiadou explained how tests work. Quick tests find antibodies. The PCR test finds antibodies and the virus itself. The tests look for antibodies from the sickness or the virus. Antibodies from vaccines are not found. Therefore, vaccinated animals will not be marked as sick.
However, some people are not happy with the rules. Vets warned farmers not to stop sampling or killing animals. Farmers who do this could get big fines. Some farmers recently stopped sampling. This made officials remind everyone about the law. Also, one farmer is being investigated. He might have spread manure, which could spread the virus. Officials in Nicosia are dealing with farmers who do not cooperate.
The vets are serious about stopping this disease. Everyone must help. The work includes killing animals, taking samples, and vaccinating. These actions aim to stop the virus now and in the future. The next few weeks are important. They will show if these new steps are working. This will help decide how to end foot-and-mouth disease in Cyprus.