Politis

Foot-and-Mouth Disease: Turkish Cypriots Follow Vaccination Route - Cooperation via Technical Committee on Health

Published February 21, 2026, 14:12
Foot-and-Mouth Disease: Turkish Cypriots Follow Vaccination Route - Cooperation via Technical Committee on Health

There is cooperation through the bi-communal Technical Committee on Health regarding the issue of foot-and-mouth disease, stated the Greek Cypriot co-chair of the Committee, Leonidas Phylactou. The Committee is in contact and has held meetings to exchange information regarding the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the occupied territories, with the last meeting taking place before the identification of the first case in the free areas. Mr. Phylactou assured that the Turkish Cypriot side is taking safety measures and monitoring the areas that have been quarantined in the occupied territories. He confirmed that the disease has not spread from the initial area where the cases were identified, in Lapatho. Regarding the vaccines against foot-and-mouth disease sent from the EU for the Turkish Cypriots, Mr. Phylactou stated that they were delivered last Friday and vaccinations are continuing in the occupied territories. He noted that the Turkish Cypriot side chose the policy of vaccination to avoid culling animals due to economic impacts. In addition, the heads of the Technical Committees had a meeting in London this week, under the auspices of Maria Angela Holguin, Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, with the aim of exchanging experiences and highlighting the lessons learned from the cooperation of the Committees to date.