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BLUETONGUE - EUROPE (50): BTV-8, UK (ENGLAND) ex GERMANY
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A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: Wed 10 Sep 2008
Source: BBC News [edited]
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7608336.stm>
Bluetongue (BT) has been found in 18 imported cattle on a farm near
Bishop Auckland in County Durham, according to officials at Defra
[map at
<http://healthmap.org/promed?name=Bishop+Auckland%2C+England%2C+United+Kingdom&g=2655583&v=54.65,-1.667,6>].
The animals were bought from Germany, which has already had cases of
the virus, which is spread by midges.
Defra has so far not identified the farm involved but has said the
infected animals cannot be moved.
A Defra spokesman said it was the 4th incidence of infected animals
being imported to the UK.
Earlier this month [September 2008], a protection zone, already in
force in other parts of the UK, was extended into the North East and
Cumbria. Deputy chief veterinary officer, Alick Simmons said: "This
incident shows how important it is for farmers to consider potential
disease risks when buying stock, regardless of source. Buyers need to
consider how best to protect their own businesses and those of their
neighbours and make sure they are clear about the stock they are
intending to buy [see commentary]. I also want to remind farmers
about the importance of vaccination. It is the only effective tool to
protect susceptible animals from bluetongue. The threat from
bluetongue is present and real, as shown by the most recent import
cases."
Cows, sheep and goats can now only be moved in or out of protection
zones if they have been vaccinated.
The virus, spread by midges, was 1st reported in the UK in 2007.
Since then, more than 100 farms have been infected.
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur A-Lan Banks
[According to EU legislation, all BTV-susceptible animals are free to
move within the confluent Protection Zones (PZ) in Europe, e.g. from
the BTV-8 Protection Zone in Germany to the Protection Zone in the UK
etc.; therefore, there is no suggestion that this import was illegal.
As the move is within a PZ, no pre-movement testing is required.
Animals for export to and from any EU Member State have to fulfill
basic export certification, which means that a vet in the country of
origin would have to check and certify they are healthy, i.e. no
clinical signs of disease. As bluetongue infection does not always
express clinical signs in infected animals, it is, therefore, not
unexpected to see BT-positive animals moving between Member States.
Several such cases have been reported in previous postings.
The title of the BBC newswire above may be somewhat misleading.
Defra's information does not say that "bluetongue virus" was found;
it says: "We have announced the detection of bluetongue in 18
imported cattle on a premises near Bishop Auckland, County Durham.
The animals originated from within the BTV8 Restricted Zone in
Germany and were detected as a result of post-import testing carried
out by Defra on all bluetongue-susceptible animals arriving from
continental Europe." As opposed to the detection of "bluetongue
virus," the "detection of bluetongue" may mean that antibodies or
non-viable virus components have been detected by the post-import
testing procedures applied. If active BTV is not present, there is no
actual risk of further infection or spread of the disease on the
importing farm or of its introduction into the circulation cycle
(vectors).
In contrast to continental Europe, where BTV-8 seems to have
over-wintered twice, entering its 3rd year of circulation (with the
highest intensity observed in France, with about 8000 new "cases"),
and where Sweden has just been added to the list of infected
countries, no renewed activity of BTV-8 has been detected, so far, on
British soil. The vaccination roll-out has recently been completed by
bringing the whole of England and Wales into the Protection Zone; see
map at
<http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/bluetongue/pdf/map-bt-pz080901.pdf>.
All livestock farmers within the protection zone have been strongly
encouraged to be vigilant and to vaccinate domestic ruminants at the
earliest possible opportunity. According to Defra, recent evidence
indicates a drop or delay in take-up in counties recently brought
into the PZ. Sales data for some of those counties suggest that the
number of animals vaccinated in these areas could be as low as one in
3, and in Northumberland and Cumbria, the most recent counties
brought into the Protection Zone, as low as one in 5. On top of that,
it will take 6-8 weeks from now for livestock keepers in the north of
England and Wales to have had sufficient opportunity to vaccinate
their livestock and to gain immunity (at least 3 weeks in sheep and 6
weeks in cattle). Defra says: "We are at the start of the period
where the risk of disease transmission is at its highest. Given that
there is a period in between vaccinating and an animal gaining
immunity, it remains vital that farmers take the opportunity to
vaccinate as soon as vaccine is available to them."
It remains to be seen whether Scotland decides to declare an official
bluetongue protection zone and vaccinate as well. The Scottish
government has BTV-8 vaccine in stock. It is not an easy decision: if
declared, all live exports of cattle, sheep and goats to countries
that are disease free (such as Ireland) would stop, with serious
economic implications. - Mod.AS]
[see also:
Bluetongue - Europe (47): France, UK 20080902.2743
Bluetongue - Europe (46): Denmark, UK 20080828.2700
Bluetongue - Europe (43): BTV-8, UK, overwintering 20080814.2527
Bluetongue - Europe (42): BTV-8, UK, Belgium 20080809.2455
Bluetongue - Europe (28): BTV-8, UK, vaccination, France, update 20080601.1756
Bluetongue - Europe (27): BTV-8, UK, vaccination, EU update 20080523.1705
Bluetongue - Europe (26): BTV-8, UK, vaccination 20080518.1656
Bluetongue - Europe (25): BTV-8, UK, epidemiology, vaccination 20080510.1602
Bluetongue - Europe (10): BTV-8, UK 20080223.0743
Bluetongue - Europe (10): BTV-8, UK (N. Ireland) ex
Netherlands-Germany 20080220.0696
Bluetongue - Europe (08): BTV-8, UK ex Netherlands, serology 20080217.0637
Bluetongue - Europe (04): BTV-8, UK (England) 20080127.0344
2007
----
Bluetongue - Europe (66): BTV-8, UK (Scotland) ex Germany 20071229.4167]
....................................................arn/msp/lm
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