August 6, 2007

Vaccine linked to UK's FMD outburst

The government of United Kingdom has pinpointed the foot-and-mouth-disease outbreak may likely emerge on a strain of a vaccine used in a pharmaceutical company adjacent to the affected farm.

Government veterinarians said the strain is identical to that used at the Institute of Animal Health (IAH) and Merial Animal Health pharmaceutical company at a site in Pirbright 3 kilometres away from the affected cattle farm.

According to the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra) the strain, first confirmed on Friday, is not found in animals but has similarities with those used in international diagnostic laboratories and vaccine production.

The department said present indications are that the 01 BFS67-like virus strain found in vaccine was similar to the 1967 FMD disease virus occurred in UK.

Merial has voluntarily agreed to halve vaccine production and enlarged protection and surveillance zones of 3 kilometres and 10 kilometres respectively have been set up encompassing both sites.

Debby Reynolds, the government's chief veterinary officer, has also ordered an "urgent" independent review into bio-security arrangements at both sites, while the Health Protection Agency (HPA) is taking "immediate action" with an investigation into the IAH and Merial.

Defra, meanwhile, said the incident remains at an early stage and too soon to reach any firm conclusions.