Venezuela begins second foot-and-mouth disease vaccination cycle

Venezuela has launched the second cycle of its national vaccination campaign against foot-and-mouth disease in the states of Monagas and Falcón. The initiative aims to maintain the country's sanitary status, as it has not reported a virus outbreak in 13 years.

In Monagas, a multidisciplinary team including livestock associations and public institutions is working to immunize more than 350,000 cattle and buffalo across 13 municipalities. The campaign, which includes a pilot program in the Tacát sector of Cedeño municipality, is scheduled to continue until December 15. The long-term goal is to achieve certification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) as a foot-and-mouth disease free territory by 2030.

In Falcón, the vaccination deployment began at the Los Manantiales production unit in Miranda municipality. Authorities reported that following the first cycle, which characterized over 286,000 head of cattle, more than 86,000 doses have been allocated for this second phase to protect both public and private livestock herds.