To Control Anthrax Cases, the Ministry of Agriculture Distributes 96,000 Doses of Vaccine

The Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) has prepared a number of strategies for preventing anthrax, one of which is through vaccination.

This was stated in an online press conference entitled *Update on the Anthrax Situation in Indonesia*, Thursday (6/7/2023).

"Anthrax is not a disease that can be eradicated; therefore, there is no eradication of a region related to anthrax, but it can only be controlled because it forms spores in the soil and environment," said the Director of Animal Health at Kementan, Nuryani Zainudin, in the press conference.

She also said that prevention and control efforts can be carried out at the source through animal vaccination in endemic areas, control of the movement of livestock from endemic areas to free areas, and disposal of infected livestock.

Kementan claims to have provided 96,000 doses of anthrax vaccine distributed to provinces with a dominant livestock population through task assistance funds.

Central Java province received the most anthrax vaccine in 2023, reaching 25,000 doses, followed by East Java with 15,000 doses.

Meanwhile, the Special Region of Yogyakarta, which recently came under the spotlight due to anthrax cases resulting in fatalities, only received 2,500 doses.

Despite this, Kementan also allocated 110,000 doses of vaccine as a reserve at the central government, which can be used during outbreaks of animal diseases such as the one that occurred in Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta.

"The most important thing in anthrax control is to increase public awareness of the dangers of the disease, and to improve surveillance in threatened areas," said Nuryani.

(Also read: [Allegedly Caused 3 Deaths, This is the Trend of Anthrax Cases in Yogyakarta Over the Last 5 Years](https://databoks.katadata.co.id/datapublish/2023/07/07/diduga-sebabkan-3-orang-meninggal-ini-tren-kasus-antraks-di-yogyakarta-5-tahun-terakhir))