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Vaccination Begins Within 3km Radius of Surveillance Zone

Published February 25, 2026, 12:21
Vaccination Begins Within 3km Radius of Surveillance Zone

Vaccination of livestock within a 3-kilometer radius of the surveillance zone for foot-and-mouth disease will begin immediately. The initial vaccine doses (10,000) will be sourced from the occupied territories, with an additional 519,000 doses expected from the European Commission in the coming days. The vaccination will be carried out in collaboration with private veterinarians already working with local farmers. According to Senior Veterinary Officer Sotiria Georgiou, no new cases of foot-and-mouth disease have been reported from recent laboratory samples. She stated that a meeting with the expert veterinarians sent by the European Commission has been completed, and they were briefed on the epidemiological situation. Notably, the same virus serotype (SAD1) has been identified in both the free and occupied areas. Samples have been sent to the community reference laboratory for further analysis to determine any common elements. The foot-and-mouth disease virus has a total of 7 serotypes. Minister of Agriculture Maria Panagiotou will meet today with all stakeholders to discuss support packages for affected farmers. The government has already initiated procedures to order the necessary vaccines through the European Commission immediately after the confirmation of the first case.