Animal Health and Productivity Status of Cattle After The Eruption of Mount Merapi

The eruption of Merapi from October 26th to November 6th, 2010 has affected social life and environment around the Merapi. The eruption has caused destruction of land and water resources, plants, death of animals and human casualities. The lava, dust and stones released from the eruption of Merapi had caused residential destruction, casualities, agricultural land and plants destruction, and contamination of water. The eruption has directly affected 4 districts including Sleman (Yogyakarta), Magelang, Boyolali and Klaten (Central Java) categorized as Disaster Risk Area (DRA). The purpose of this assessment is to analyse the impacts of Merapi eruption in animal health and productivity in particular for dairy and beef cattle. A total of 2.828 heads of cattle was reported died during the eruption of Merapi, and 1.962 heads died at the time of eruption and 36 heads at the arrival on evacuation areas. Animal that found died including 423 heads of beef cattle (0.13%) and 2.405 heads of dairy cattle (3.2%). Clinical sains noted after the eruption were reduction of milk production, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, respiratory disturbances, mastitis and collapse. The main problems for livestock were reduction of milk production, collapse of dairy milk corporation activities and contamination of water resources. Other than dairy cattle mortality, the reduction of milk production may be caused by subclinical mastitis and environmental distress due to temperature and noise of eruption for few days. The subclinical mastitis should be further investigated to establish rehabilitation programme for dairy milk agribussiness activity in particular around the DRA of Merapi. Key words: Health, productivity, cattle, disaster, Merap

Improvement of Public Awareness on Fasciolosis as Zoonosis Disease

Fasciolosis is commonly suffered by the ruminants such as cattle and buffaloes, and as one of the most important parasitic disease . The prevalence of fasciolosis in ruminants is related to the contaminated feedstuff and water supply with metacercariae, the infective larvae of trematode genus Fasciola spp ., such as Fasciola gigantica and F. hepatica. In Indonesia, the prevalence of this disease in ruminants could be up to 90%, and there is no case report on human being . However, the occurrence of this disease in human should be anticipated, since many cases have been reported in human in the other countries, such as South America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia (Thailand and Vietnam), as "Food-borne infection" and as one of the most important issues in public health . Ironically, the farmers and the extension agents in Indonesia do not aware on the danger of this disease neither to the animals nor to human, so they also do not care on how to prevent and control the disease. This phenomenon appears maybe because fasciolosis is a chronic disease without any significant clinical signs and quite difficult to be detected . Thus, it is very important to improve the public awareness on fasciolosis both in ruminants and its possibility in human being . The endemic areas can be defined by epidemiological surveillance using accurate early diagnostic test, so that strategic and sustainable fasciolosis control in the endemic areas could be implemented . This program will be succeeded if there is strong integrated collaboration among the farmers, the extension agents, the researchers and the decision makers in the related departments . Key words : Fasciolosis, zoonosis, public awarenes

Animal Health and Productivity Status of Cattle After The Eruption of Mount Merapi

The eruption of Merapi from October 26th to November 6th, 2010 has affected social life and environment around the Merapi. The eruption has caused destruction of land and water resources, plants, death of animals and human casualities. The lava, dust and stones released from the eruption of Merapi had caused residential destruction, casualities, agricultural land and plants destruction, and contamination of water. The eruption has directly affected 4 districts including Sleman (Yogyakarta), Magelang, Boyolali and Klaten (Central Java) categorized as Disaster Risk Area (DRA). The purpose of this assessment is to analyse the impacts of Merapi eruption in animal health and productivity in particular for dairy and beef cattle. A total of 2.828 heads of cattle was reported died during the eruption of Merapi, and 1.962 heads died at the time of eruption and 36 heads at the arrival on evacuation areas. Animal that found died including 423 heads of beef cattle (0.13%) and 2.405 heads of dairy cattle (3.2%). Clinical sains noted after the eruption were reduction of milk production, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, respiratory disturbances, mastitis and collapse. The main problems for livestock were reduction of milk production, collapse of dairy milk corporation activities and contamination of water resources. Other than dairy cattle mortality, the reduction of milk production may be caused by subclinical mastitis and environmental distress due to temperature and noise of eruption for few days. The subclinical mastitis should be further investigated to establish rehabilitation programme for dairy milk agribussiness activity in particular around the DRA of Merapi

Evidence for a major gene determining the resistance of Indonesian Thin Tail sheep against Fasciola gigantica

The genetic basis of the high resistance of Indonesian Thin Tail (ITT) sheep against Fasciola gigantica has been studied by measuring the resistance levels of ITT sheep, St. Croix sheep and their F and F crossbreds. All of the sheep were bred and reared in the same environment. Approximately half of the F and F crossbreds were as resistant as the ITT parental breed, one-quarter had the low resistance of the St. Croix parental breed and the rest had an intermediate level of resistance. It is concluded that the high resistance is determined by a major gene with incomplete dominance. The prevalence of the gene in the ITT sheep population is estimated to be about 90%. The resistance may be innate or acquired; but, regardless of the mechanism, it could be used to control fasciolosis caused by F. gigantica by breed substitution or by crossbreeding with other breeds of sheep