Bicommunal health committee to discuss foot-and-mouth disease response

Leonidas Phylactou, the Greek Cypriot head of the bicommunal Technical Committee on Health, is calling for an urgent meeting to address the ongoing foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. The disease was first detected in December 2025 in livestock units located in areas not controlled by the Republic of Cyprus. The Greek Cypriot side has proposed that the Turkish Cypriot side adopt European Union protocols for crisis management, which would mark a departure from the current strategy. Currently, the strategy in the non-controlled areas involves animal vaccinations but stops short of mass culling of affected livestock. The upcoming committee meeting, which the Greek Cypriot side has requested for several weeks, is expected to focus on the potential adoption of these EU protocols. Meanwhile, the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has implemented strict biosecurity measures. These measures include avoiding livestock areas to prevent accidental virus transmission and disinfecting vehicles that have traveled through high-risk zones.