Find the sick with a lick: Novel Technique for FMD Testing

FAO Mongolia has started piloting the use of salt blocks to facilitate testing for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), a highly contagious viral disease that affects both livestock as well as markets since outbreaks can cause severe economic losses. AO carries out this pilot in ten selected herder households in collaboration with the German Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health and the Mongolian General Authority for Veterinarian Services including local veterinarians from Dornod Aimag and Matad Soum. Samples will be taken at a biweekly basis over the coming months to test how this method works under field conditions. The activity is part of FAO’s emergency assistance for the control of FMD disease in central and western regions of Mongolia.