Bluetongue disease tests widen
Pastor Dale Morgan
Bluetongue disease tests widen*
By Graham Tibbetts
Last Updated: 1:56am BST 01/10/2007
Farmers are braced for more cases of bluetongue as scientists
investigated a series of suspected infections.
Mace Green Farm at Washbrook, near Ipswich, where a case of bluetongue
was discovered
Scientists are investigating reports of suspected cases of bluetongue in
Norfolk and the East Midlands
Tests are taking place in counties beyond the source of the initial
outbreak to establish how far the disease has spread.
Eleven cases have been confirmed so far - mainly around Ipswich, Suffolk
where the first was reported just over a week ago - but the toll is
expected to rise.
"It wouldn't surprise us in the least if there are quite a few more
cases over the course of the next month," said Anthony Gibson, the
director of communications for the National Farmers' Union.
The recent outbreaks of bluetongue and foot and mouth are estimated to
have cost the country anywhere between £135 million and £300 million.
Last night, tests on a herd of 52 cattle slaughtered in Wraysbury,
Surrey, confirmed that some been exposed to foot and mouth, taking the
number of cases to eight, all on premises inside the existing protection
zone.
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Scientists are investigating reports of suspected cases of bluetongue,
which is carried by midges, in Norfolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire and the
East Midlands, a spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and
Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed yesterday.
The virus behind the outbreak in Britain is type 8 from the Netherlands
and Germany, for which there is no vaccine available.
Merial, the private animal research company, had been developing a
vaccine at its Pirbright laboratory when it was ordered to stop by Defra
in the wake of foot and mouth.
Although the foot and mouth virus came from Merial, it leaked from a
pipe owned by its neighbours at Pirbright, the Institute for Animal Health.
Pressure has been mounting on Defra to allow Merial to handle viruses
again so that it could have the bluetongue vaccine ready in time to
inoculate livestock before the height of the midge season in May and June.
"We're ready to go but we still can't handle live viruses in Pirbright.
"We can't press the green light until Defra say they are happy with the
pipe that's been talked about," said a spokesman for Merial.
"We think if we can have it up and running in the next four to five
weeks we can have it available early next summer in time for people to
use to protect their herds."