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Published Date: 2012-03-24 15:50:43
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Schmallenberg virus - Europe (31): update, international impact
Archive Number: 20120324.1079633

SCHMALLENBERG VIRUS - EUROPE (31): UPDATE, INTERNATIONAL IMPACT
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In this update:
[1] UK, Jersey
[2] European Commission Statement
[3] Latest accumulated testing results, compiled

[1] UK, Jersey

Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2012
Source: BBC News [edited]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-17487570

Schmallenberg virus confirmed in Jersey sheep
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The Schmallenberg virus [SBV] has been found in sheep in Jersey, the states veterinary officer has announced.

Linda Lowseck confirmed the virus was found in samples from a sheep flock owner whose animals had problems lambing.

The virus, affecting cattle, sheep and goats, is borne by midges and can cause ewes to give birth to deformed lambs.

Mrs Lowseck said the virus was likely to have come to Jersey by windborne midges in autumn.

She said the virus could lead to the loss or temporary suspension of the export trade, particularly concerning bovine embryos.

There have been dozens of reports of the SBV across England and cases have been reported in Normandy, France.

Mrs Lowseck said livestock owners who were concerned for the welfare of their herds and flocks, particularly when lambing and calving, should contact their own vet.

She said: "Arrangements have been made for a speaker from the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency to come to Jersey and give a presentation on the SBV on Tue, 10 April."

Dr Ivan Muscat, consultant microbiologist for Health and Social Services, said there was no evidence to date that the virus causes human disease or could affect pregnant women or their babies.

[Byline: Beckie Williams]

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[The data from Jersey are already included in UK's SBV surveillance report, as updated on 23 Mar 2012; see item 3 further. -Mod. AS].

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[2] European Commission Statement

Date: 24 Mar 2012 [accessed]
Source: European Commission Statement, SANCO web-site [edited]
http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/diseases/schmallenberg_virus/docs/statement_schmallenberg_17022012_en.pdf

Statement on the Schmallenberg Virus Situation issued by the European Commission together with the EU Member States following the working group held on 17 Feb 2012
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The European Commission and the EU Member States:
- acknowledge that the OIE Technical factsheet [ref 1] largely reproduces information on the Schmallenberg virus [SBV] that is already publicly available in the Commission guidance documents, in the EFSA preliminary analysis and in the websites of the Member States;
- emphasise that the OIE factsheet on SBV does not differ from the EU understanding: the SBV does not deserve a treatment different to the one applied to Akabane virus including for trade, a virus [Akabane] that is not an OIE listed disease nor notifiable in the EU nor subject to specific OIE standards or restrictions despite it being endemic in many areas of the world;
- take note of the Recommendations of the Scientific Commission for Animal Diseases (SCAD) for safe trade [ref 2], in which essential concepts generally accepted and applied for other vector borne diseases have not been considered: vector free season, vector protection, etc.;
- understand that the recommendations for safe trade are just extrapolated from bluetongue standards. However, the only characteristics that bluetongue shares with Akabane and Schmallenberg viruses is its transmission by vectors and its seasonality;
- emphasise that the knowledge available on the SBV shows that its impact on animal health is much less than the one caused by bluetongue;
- ask OIE to regularly review the above referred documents, taking into account new evidence and knowledge that the European Union and its scientists, in particular EFSA, will gather and make available to the international community.
- take note that the documents published by the OIE confirm the position of EFSA and ECDC that the risk for human health posed by the Schmallenberg virus is negligible and that animal products such as milk and meat do not pose any risk of disease transmission;
- note that the SCAD recommendations do not constitute an OIE international standard for trade;
- reiterate that taking into account the limited impact of the disease on animal health and according to available knowledge, consider trade restrictions due to the occurrence of SBV in the EU as disproportionate and scientifically unjustified;
- stress that under EU rules, only movement of healthy animals as well as the collection of their semen, embryos and the marketing of their products (meat, milk, etc.) are allowed; accordingly, diseased animals and their products are not traded;
- emphasise the importance of surveillance and transparency as essential elements of the EU prevention and safe trade strategy and maintain the commitment to continue informing the international community of any new development on this infection.

References:
1. http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Our_scientific_expertise/docs/pdf/Schmallenberg_virus.pdf
2. http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Our_scientific_expertise/docs/pdf/Recommendations_for_safe_trade_Schmallenberg_virus.pdf.

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[SBV is a candidate for inclusion in OIE's diseases list, since it is an emerging disease which has already been reported as such to the OIE by the following 8 countries: Netherlands (immediate notification submitted 5 Jan 2012), Belgium (12 Jan 2012) , Germany (18 Jan 2012), UK (24 Jan 2012), France (31 Jan 2012), Luxembourg (20 Feb 2012), Italy 20 Feb 2012) and Spain (13 Mar 2012).

The other 3 alternative criteria for the inclusion of a disease in OIE's list are
- International Spread;
- Zoonotic Potential;
- Significant Spread within Naive Populations.

Fulfillment of one of the 4 criteria justifies the inclusion of a disease in the list. For details please refer to OIE's Terrestrial Code article 1.2.1. "Criteria for listing diseases" at http://www.oie.int/index.php?id=169&L=0&htmfile=chapitre_1.1.2.htm. -Mod. AS].

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[3] Latest accumulated testing results, compiled

Date: Sat, 24 Mar 2012
Source: Web-sites of 8 SBV-affected countries in Europe (for the URLs, see under the table)

Updated figures of reported SBV-positive holdings
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Country / date / total / cattle / sheep / goat / sources (* No)
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1. Belgium / 19 Mar / 255 / 96 / 157/ 2 / (*1)

2. France / 16 MAR / 824 / 53 / 761/ 10 / (*2)

3. Germany / 23 Mar / 1061 / 194 / 823 / 44 / (*3)

4. Italy / 16 Mar / 1 / - / - / 1 / (*4)

5. Luxembourg / 7 Mar / 7 / 1 / 6 / - / (*5)

6. Netherlands / 23 Mar / 194 / 86 / 103 / 5 / (*6)

7. Spain / 12 Mar 3 / 1 / - / 1 / - / (*7)

8. UK / 23 Mar / 209 / 17 / 192 / - / (*8)

Grand total: 2552 SBV-affected holdings in 8 countries (bovine 447, Ovine 2043, Caprine 62).

Sources:

(*1): Report:http://www.favv-afsca.be/dierengezondheid/schmallenberg/_documents/Schmallenberg_resultaten_20120319_nl.pdf.
Map: http://www.favv-afsca.be/_pictures/users/schmallenberg_20120319.jpg

(*2): Report: http://www.survepi.org/cerepi/. Map: http://www.survepi.org/cerepi/images/documents/20121603francemap.pdf

(*3): Report:http://www.fli.bund.de/en/startseite/current-news/animal-disease-situation/new-orthobunyavirus-detected-in-cattle-in-germany.html.
Map: http://www.fli.bund.de/fileadmin/dam_uploads/tierseuchen/Schmallenberg_Virus/Karten/Map_Schmallenberg_20120319.jpg.

(*4): Report & map: http://www.survepi.org/cerepi/images/documents/2012_02_16_italie.pdf.

(*5): Report & map: http://web.oie.int/wahis/public.php?page=event_summary&reportid=11664.

(*6): Report: http://www.vwa.nl/txmpub/files/?p_file_id=2201855.
Map: http://www.vwa.nl/txmpub/files/?p_file_id=2201854

(*7): Report & map: http://www.survepi.org/cerepi/images/documents/20120313spain.pdf

(*8): Report: http://www.defra.gov.uk/ahvla/2012/03/23/23-march-schmallenberg-virus-further-update-on-gb-testing-results/; interactive OIE map, as of 16 Mar 2012, at http://web.oie.int/wahis/public.php?page=event_summary&reportid=11539.

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[The SBV web-page of the EC's Directorate General "Health and Consumers" is available at
http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/diseases/schmallenberg_virus/index_en.htm.

As mentioned in the recent EC statement (above, item 1), the position of EFSA and ECDC is that the risk for human health posed by SBV is "negligible". Reportedly, a serosurvey, including the testing for SBV antibodies in sheep farmers from Northrhine-Westphalia, Germany, whose animals had been affected by SBV, has been undertaken by the Robert Koch Institute since early March. The results of these tests and their analysis are anticipated with interest; see item 4 in posting 20120306.1062871. - Mod.AS]

See Also