Please find here below an update on the FMD outbreak in UK.
Measures taken
- Culling of all the animals in the affected farm has been completed, including animals in the affected site and animals located in separate sites where signs were not described.
- A cattle origination from one of these additional sites has proven to be positive.
- Due to this additional positive finding new protection and surveillance zones have been established around a second site of the farm.
- A neighboring farm was confirmed as a dangerous contact with a small number of sheep and pigs on it also being culled.
- Some other suspect cases have all proved negative.
- Exports have ceased and those already exported from susceptible animals during the risk period will be identified and notified to the importing countries.
Amendment of the licence for movements
The licence for movements described in the first e-mail sent out on Saturday (UECBV-E-0617-2007) has been amended in order to extend the possibility of movements to susceptible animals for the purpose of veterinary treatment, subject to the same conditions.
Questions and answers
DEFRA has release a question&answers document relating to the outbreak. You can find it at the following link: Q&A outbreak UK 2007.
EU Commission action
The extraordinary meeting of the Standing Committee will take place on Wednesday.
Emergency vaccination
EU legislation allows, in certain conditions, performing of emergency vaccination around the outbreak in order to protect animals and reduce the possibility of the virus to be spread. Such a decision will be taken depending on the evolution of the situation. It is too early now to decide whether the possibility has to be used or not.
Press release DEFRA-UK 5 August
Additional Foot and Mouth Disease test results in Surrey
The culling of the cattle on the infected enterprise in Surrey was completed yesterday. This included the 38 cattle known to be infected, and the cattle on the 2 additional sites, which together make up this same farming enterprise. The cattle on these two sites, both within the Surveillance Zone, showed no clinical signs of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) but were culled in line with normal procedure and tested. Results today have revealed that of the additional animals slaughtered one of them tested positive for FMD.
In line with normal procedures, Debby Reynolds, Chief Veterinary Officer has instructed that an additional 3km radius Protection Zone and wider 10km radius Surveillance Zone be placed around the second part of the farm. In addition, as a precaution because of potentially dangerous contacts, susceptible animals on one farm located next door to the field are being culled.
All procedures are being applied in line with the agreed contingency plan and intensive work is continuing to be done around the infected area to eradicate the disease. We are grateful for the cooperation of the local community.
Notes to editors
- The Defra public helpline is currently operating from 6am-10pm. The public should call: 08459 335577.
- Advice from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) is that Foot and Mouth Disease is not a direct public health threat. The Food Standards Agency considers that foot and mouth disease has no implications for the human food chain.
- FMD is a disease of cattle and very few human cases have ever been recorded even though the disease is endemic in animals in many parts of the world including Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America. Foot and mouth disease only crosses the species barrier from cattle to human with very great difficulty. The last human case reported in Britain occurred in 1966. The disease in humans, in the very rare cases that have occurred, is mild, short-lived and requires no medical treatment.
- The exact details on the measures that apply in Protection and Surveillance Zones can be found on the Defra website at: www.defra.gov.uk/footandmouth/
Zdroj: UECBV