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The Andean countries went from having 120 foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks in year 2009 to zero since 2012, and this takes us just one step away from completely eradicating this disease and nearer to food safety, the FAO pointed out today.
According to the FAO, these results do not only contribute to the improvement of the health status of these countries, but they also strengthen food safety by means of a higher availability of nutritious foods, more income for the small producers and new opportunities for strengthening the rural development.
Spain, through the Spanish Agency for the International Cooperation and the Development (AECID), and Italy, through the Italian Cooperation to Development, provided US$7.2 million to the project.
Bolivia received the foot-and-mouth disease-free status without vaccination for the High Andean Plateau in 2012, and also for a region of El Chaco, that also received the same foot-and-mouth disease-free status but with vaccination, with which it is near to the achieving the certification as a country that has eradicated this disease.
In Peru, the littoral region was recognised as having a foot-and-mouth disease-free status without vaccination, and the north region, beside the border with Ecuador, was declared as foot-and-mouth disease-free with vaccination, and this made that Ecuador was included among the countries with the maximum acknowledgement given by the Animal Health World Organisation (OIE).
Ecuador reduced the impact of this disease by going from a control stage to an eradication phase, whilst Colombia maintained its status (97% of the territory and 96% of the free cattle population free of the disease) and reduced the reinfection risk from neighbouring countries.
Thursday May 15, 2014/ FAO.
http://www.fao.org
