Please find here below an update on the FMD outbreak in UK, in addition the information reported yesterday.
Virus isolation - origin
- The FMD virus isolated from the outbreak is serotype O. The specific strain of the virus has not been recently detected in other FMD outbreaks but is a strain used for the production of vaccines in the nearby laboratory shared by the Community Reference Laboratory of Pirbright and the pharmaceutical company Merial. It was used for the production of a batch of vaccine in July 2007.
- Other possible sources of the virus are anyway being investigated.
- At the bottom of the e-mail you can find a yesterday's press release by DEFRA.
Information on the affected farm
- The affected holding is represented by a beef finishing unit and includes the farm itself and two areas of pasture. A total of 64 cattle are farmed, all of which are being culled. The 34 affected cattle were confined in one pasture area.
- The last movement of susceptible animals into the holding dates back to June.
- The last movement of susceptible animals from the holding dates back to 10 July, when certain animals were sent for slaughter.
Measures taken
- The protection and surveillance zones have been enlarged, considering combined 3 km and 10 km zones around both the affected farm and the laboratory.
- Culling of all the animals in the affected farm is being carried out.
EU Commission action
- The Commission Services confirm that all measures established by EU legislation are being applied in the UK.
- An emergency Commission decision will be adopted tomorrow, Monday 6 August, and will confirm the measures implemented in the UK and in particular the restrictions to animal movements and to the dispatch from the UK of products possible carriers of the virus.
- An extraordinary meeting of the Standing Committee is expected to take place soon, possibly Wednesday or Thursday.
Press release DEFRA-UK 4 August
Results of Foot and Mouth Disease Strain in Surrey, extension of zones
The FMD strain found in Surrey is not one currently known to be recently found in animals. It is most similar to strains used in international diagnostic laboratories and in vaccine production, including at the Pirbright site shared by the Institute of Animal Health (IAH) and Merial Animal Health Ltd, a pharmaceutical company. The present indications are that this strain is a 01 BFS67 - like virus, isolated in the 1967 Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in Great Britain.
This strain is present at the IAH and was used in a batch manufactured in July 2007 by the Merial facility. On a precautionary basis Merial has agreed to voluntarily halt vaccine production.
In response to this new information Debby Reynolds, Chief Veterinary Officer has instructed that a new single Protection Zone be created encompassing both the infected farm premises and the Pirbright site, with a single 10km radius Surveillance Zone.
Immediate action is being taken with an investigation led by the Health and Safety Executive at the Institute for Animal Health and Merial.
In addition an urgent independent review into biosecurity arrangements at both sites has been commissioned led by Professor Brian Spratt of Imperial University. It will report to Hilary Benn and Debby Reynolds.
This incident remains at an early stage. It is too soon to reach any firm conclusions. All potential sources of the virus will continue to be investigated. All other precautionary measures announced yesterday remain in place.
Notes to editors
- 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 http://www.defra.gov.uk/footandmouth/
Zdroj: UECBV