Stung Treng cattle killed by foot-and-mouth

A buffalo found dead last week after it was infected during an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Stung Treng’s Siem Pang district. Photo supplied

Tue, 23 May 2017

Phak Seangly

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More than 60 cows and buffalo in Stung Treng’s Siem Pang district have died over the past two weeks following a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, while 200 cattle have been vaccinated to prevent further spread, officials said yesterday.

Chan Sokha, Sekong commune chief, said the outbreak spread across four villages but was mostly concentrated in Chanthu village, where the majority of the animals died.

“At the beginning, five animals died per day, and in total 61 cattle died,” he said. “Most of them were buffalo.”

Sokha said he became aware of the issue while visiting constituents in the area on May 11. He contacted a veterinarian at the Provincial Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Department, which deployed experts the following day to inspect and vaccinate other animals.

Lieng Seng, director of the Stung Treng Provincial Agriculture Department, said experts concluded that foot-and-mouth disease was to blame.

“The symptoms are flowing saliva, running nose, swollen neck and stomach, and [shortness of] breath,” he said.

Animals will continue to be vaccinated, and local authorities are educating villagers not to consume the dead animals, and to transport them elsewhere to prevent further infections.

Outbreaks of the disease occur sporadically in Cambodia, with multiple incidents reported in 2016 in Pursat and Kampong Thom provinces.