Indonesia once successfully eradicated Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) in livestock. That achievement, which stood for 32 years, is now being revisited as the country grapples with a renewed outbreak that swept across nearly all regions in 2022.
Agung Suganda, Director General of Livestock and Animal Health Services at the Ministry of Agriculture, explained that Indonesia had previously conducted a successful mass vaccination program using vaccines produced by Pusvetma in Surabaya.
Between 1952 and 1986, nationwide FMD vaccinations were implemented.
“The last FMD outbreak in Java occurred in 1983, and by 1986, Indonesia officially declared its FMD-free status,” said Director General Suganda during the 41st Bulaksumur Thought Seminar, themed Strategies for Controlling Foot-and-Mouth Disease in Livestock, organized by the UGM Board of Professors on Monday, Jun. 30, 2025.
According to him, the past success in controlling FMD was inseparable from the mass vaccination campaign using domestically produced vaccines.
However, after 32 years of being FMD-free, Indonesia was shocked by the reemergence of the disease in April 2022.
Many stakeholders were caught off guard and unprepared to face the resurgence.
On May 9, 2022, the Minister of Agriculture officially declared a new FMD outbreak in Indonesia.
Consequently, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) revoked Indonesia’s FMD-free status.
This revocation had a severe impact on the country’s livestock and animal product exports.
“For instance, the export of live goats and sheep to Malaysia was postponed and remains under negotiation to reopen. This has caused tremendous economic losses due to the FMD outbreak since 2022,” he stated.
To restore its former success, Director General Suganda noted that the Ministry of Agriculture has introduced an FMD Control Policy, aiming to eliminate the disease and reclaim FMD-free status by 2035.
The strategic goals include eliminating virus circulation in the country, implementing phased, risk-based control across Indonesia, achieving internationally recognized standards of animal health, and strengthening the national animal health system to support long-term FMD control.
To support risk-based disease control, the government has outlined an FMD eradication roadmap through the Minister of Agriculture Decree No. 285 of 2023.
Professor Agung Budiyanto, a professor at UGM Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (FKH UGM), announced the faculty’s readiness to form an FMD Task Force comprised of faculty members and students.
The team, comprising clinical and laboratory experts, will assist with FMD virus diagnostics.
“Our role in combating FMD also includes educating the public. The task force will be deployed through our regular community service and KKN (student community service) programs,” said Professor Budiyanto.
He emphasized the need for a comprehensive approach to FMD handling.
He stated that the burden would be too heavy if shouldered alone.
In the short term, the priority is to reduce direct and indirect losses through effective control and accurate diagnosis.
For the medium term, efforts should include treatment, mass vaccination, and structured public education campaigns.
Dr. Hendra Wibawa, Head of the Wates Veterinary Center, stated that vaccination using Pusvetma’s FMD vaccine induces an antibody response (Structural Protein, SP) in individual animals.
Herd immunity typically begins to form in livestock aged 12 to 60 months, with positivity rates approaching 80–100 percent.
“Vaccination induces strong antibody responses across all livestock age groups, as shown by increased SP antibody levels during each sampling period,” he explained.
To ensure the success of future vaccination campaigns, he recommends intensified public outreach through communication, information, and education (CIE) initiatives.
He also emphasized the need for training of field vaccinators and laboratory personnel on best practices for vaccine storage, transportation, and post-vaccination sample collection.
Author: Agung Nugroho
Post-editor: Lintang Andwyna
Photograph: ANTARA News