January 22, 2008

UK needs to vaccinate 80 percent of cattle herd against bluetongue
 

Vaccination is the only protection against bluetongue disease and unless a minimum of 80 percent of the country's ruminant livestock are vaccinated, the economic consequences would be severe, experts from the Institute for Animal Health (IAH) said at a joint conference with NFU held on Thursday (January 17, 2008).

Bluetongue disease could produce a disastrous effect in Great Britain's livestock sector if it returns with similar virulence as when it plagued Northern Europe last year, the experts added.

IAH bluetongue research leader Chris Oura warned that bluetongue is a very serious disease and 2007 is no reflection of what might happen in 2008.

He told the 85 NFU attending members that while a relatively small outbreak in Germany during 2006 was considered bad at the time, it was trivial when compared to the peak of the 2007 outbreak which sees 300 premises being infected per day.

Oura opined that they were lucky in 2007 that the disease did not take hold, but 2008 might be very different.

Last year in Belgium, the disease led to 41.9 percent mortality in sheep, causing many producers to withdraw from sheep production. Many cattle producers reported re-absorption of foetuses, abortion, a decline in animal health and sterility of sires.

One of the conference's focus is of vaccination strategy and whether a vaccine would be available in sufficient quantities.

A DEFRA observer present confirmed that the department is formulating a suitable strategy with stakeholders and IAH experts, though its direction would be influenced by the emergence of new cases and results of any pre-movement tests performed for producers.

However, vaccination will almost certainly be on a voluntary, rather than compulsory, basis. Producers within the protection zone would be the first to be offered the chance to protect their livestock before livestock outside the protection zone gets treated.

No one could estimate how long it would take to cover at least 80 percent of England to ensure success. To encourage participation, peer pressure and the role of media are put forward as the only means of conveying the important message of vaccination, the conference concluded.