Alessandra Bastos
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Brasília - Starting yesterday (1), cattle breeders in 14 states and the Federal District (DF) are being required to vaccinate their entire herd against hoof and mouth disease. This is one more phase in the campaign aimed at vaccinating 69% of the Brazilian herd, according to information furnished by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply. The second phase of the campaign in these states will occur in November.

Ten days ago a new outbreak of hoof and mouth disease was detected in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, on a ranch in the municipality of Japorã. Two other municipalities, Eldorado and Mundo Novo, have also been quarantined. So far 33,741 animals have been slaughtered in these three municipalities, in which 33 cases of the disease have been identified since last October.

The campaign is part of the ministry's National Program for the Erradication of Hoof and Mouth Disease. The campaign plans to vaccinate 139.4 million head of Brazil's total herd of 202.5 million head.

What follows is a list of the states where the campaign is taking place and the number of animals to be vaccinated in each state:

1. Goiás: 20.4 million head
2. Acre: 2.2 million head
3. Amapá: 76.9 thousand head
4. Amazonas: 1.3 million head
5. Federal District: 114.4 thousand head
6. Maranhão: 5.9 million head
7. Mato Grosso do Sul: 24.1 million head
8. Minas Gerais: 11.7 million head (animals under 24 months of age should be vaccinated)
9. Pará: 17.4 million head
10. Paraná: 10.2 million head
11. Piauí: 1.8 million head
12. Rondônia: 11.3 million head
13. São Paulo: 13.6 million head
14. Sergipe: 972 thousand head
15 Tocantins: 7.9 million head

Translation: David Silberstein