Red Fred
Member
- Location
- Hants/Dorset border
Just had a message from APHA to let us know that they have found a case of Bluetongue near Canterbury with a 10km temporary control zone in place.
Bluetongue near Canterbury
- Thread starter Red Fred
- Start date
- Location
- Devon
From https://assets.publishing.service.g.../BTV_Europe_Updated_Outbreak_Assessment_7.pdf
Conclusion
The whole territory of mainland France is declared a BTV restriction zone. This means that susceptible livestock cannot be moved to Great Britain without prior vaccination for the circulating BTV-4 and BTV-8 serotypes. It also important to note that the Culicoides midge population peaks mid to late summer, and during early Autumn the conditions are optimal for BTV transmission by infected midges (Plateforme 2023) (Wittman et al., 2002). Vaccines are commercially available for BTV-4 and BTV-8. The reports of BTV-3 in the Netherlands, and further geographical spread to Belgium and Germany are of greater concern, as there is no approved vaccine for BTV-3. Therefore, in order for EU intra-community trade to resume, live animals need to be first isolated for 60 days in vector free accommodation and then test negative for the disease, before being permitted to move. Third Country certification however does not permit such movements of live ruminants into Great Britain. As there are now many reports located near to the coastline in the Netherlands, there is also potential for windborne infected midges to be blown across the North Sea if the meteorological conditions are suitable. This would mean BTV disease incursion could occur in the southern and eastern counties of England from the Netherlands. Ahead of suspending trade, all imports of susceptible animals from the Netherlands and Germany were subject to post import testing for BTV and all recent imports have tested negative. Testing of all imports of susceptible animals from Belgium is ongoing. Trade in live sheep and cattle from the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany is now no longer possible and germinal products are subject to additional testing requirements. Considering all disease incursion routes from France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, the overall risk of BTV entry has been assessed as MEDIUM. Live ruminants from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany are unable to be sent to GB due to them being unable to meet the certification requirements in the absence of BTV-3. Tracings of imports from the four-week period prior to BTV-3 being confirmed are complete. Investigations regarding source of infection in Belgium are ongoing and these geographic jumps into different countries show that spread can go undetected in a traded population and highlight the importance of post import testing. Hence the risk to Great Britain is currently from the incursion of infected midges (windborne and via transport) and undetected spread to other areas we are trading with.
The possibility for the windborne incursion of midges from affected areas is monitored frequently, with a collaborative effort between APHA, The Pirbright institute (as vector and disease experts) and the Met Office (who can predict potential airborne movement of vectors into Great Britain using their Numerical Atmospheric-dispersion Modelling Environment (NAME), and provide estimates of climate suitability for spread in Great Britain and on the Continent). The NAME model predicts how many ‘plumes’ may have been sufficient to enable windborne incursion of midges from sites of interest over a two-week period and where in Great Britain these plumes may have entered. Outputs from the risk assessment are communicated to risk managers. As we head into Winter and the temperature drops, midge activity decreases, and virus replication does not occur, which will impact the risk. Other potential pathways for BTV into Great Britain include imports and illegal movement of infected animals or germplasm. There is a potential risk of virus entry associated with the movement of infected Culicoides in other traded or transported commodities. Livestock owners are strongly advised to source replacement stock responsibly and consult with their private veterinarians to put in place controls preventing the introduction of Bluetongue virus. Assurances should be sought from traders to ensure BTV susceptible animals are fully protected with the appropriate serotype vaccination prior to travel. It is also strongly advisable to request pre-movement testing of animals prior to departure as a further check to ensure that animals are clear of infection before they travel. We would also like to remind keepers that if they wish to move show animals to an exhibition held in a BTV-4 or BTV-8 Restriction Zone on the Continent, and then return them back to the Great Britain (a BTV Free Area), the animals will need to be fully vaccinated against either or both virus serotypes (BTV-4 and BTV-8) prior to leaving Great Britain. As there is no commercially available vaccine to protect against BTV-3, it is advisable not to export live ruminants to the Netherlands, Belgium, or Germany at this time. We will continue to monitor the current situation
Conclusion
The whole territory of mainland France is declared a BTV restriction zone. This means that susceptible livestock cannot be moved to Great Britain without prior vaccination for the circulating BTV-4 and BTV-8 serotypes. It also important to note that the Culicoides midge population peaks mid to late summer, and during early Autumn the conditions are optimal for BTV transmission by infected midges (Plateforme 2023) (Wittman et al., 2002). Vaccines are commercially available for BTV-4 and BTV-8. The reports of BTV-3 in the Netherlands, and further geographical spread to Belgium and Germany are of greater concern, as there is no approved vaccine for BTV-3. Therefore, in order for EU intra-community trade to resume, live animals need to be first isolated for 60 days in vector free accommodation and then test negative for the disease, before being permitted to move. Third Country certification however does not permit such movements of live ruminants into Great Britain. As there are now many reports located near to the coastline in the Netherlands, there is also potential for windborne infected midges to be blown across the North Sea if the meteorological conditions are suitable. This would mean BTV disease incursion could occur in the southern and eastern counties of England from the Netherlands. Ahead of suspending trade, all imports of susceptible animals from the Netherlands and Germany were subject to post import testing for BTV and all recent imports have tested negative. Testing of all imports of susceptible animals from Belgium is ongoing. Trade in live sheep and cattle from the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany is now no longer possible and germinal products are subject to additional testing requirements. Considering all disease incursion routes from France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, the overall risk of BTV entry has been assessed as MEDIUM. Live ruminants from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany are unable to be sent to GB due to them being unable to meet the certification requirements in the absence of BTV-3. Tracings of imports from the four-week period prior to BTV-3 being confirmed are complete. Investigations regarding source of infection in Belgium are ongoing and these geographic jumps into different countries show that spread can go undetected in a traded population and highlight the importance of post import testing. Hence the risk to Great Britain is currently from the incursion of infected midges (windborne and via transport) and undetected spread to other areas we are trading with.
The possibility for the windborne incursion of midges from affected areas is monitored frequently, with a collaborative effort between APHA, The Pirbright institute (as vector and disease experts) and the Met Office (who can predict potential airborne movement of vectors into Great Britain using their Numerical Atmospheric-dispersion Modelling Environment (NAME), and provide estimates of climate suitability for spread in Great Britain and on the Continent). The NAME model predicts how many ‘plumes’ may have been sufficient to enable windborne incursion of midges from sites of interest over a two-week period and where in Great Britain these plumes may have entered. Outputs from the risk assessment are communicated to risk managers. As we head into Winter and the temperature drops, midge activity decreases, and virus replication does not occur, which will impact the risk. Other potential pathways for BTV into Great Britain include imports and illegal movement of infected animals or germplasm. There is a potential risk of virus entry associated with the movement of infected Culicoides in other traded or transported commodities. Livestock owners are strongly advised to source replacement stock responsibly and consult with their private veterinarians to put in place controls preventing the introduction of Bluetongue virus. Assurances should be sought from traders to ensure BTV susceptible animals are fully protected with the appropriate serotype vaccination prior to travel. It is also strongly advisable to request pre-movement testing of animals prior to departure as a further check to ensure that animals are clear of infection before they travel. We would also like to remind keepers that if they wish to move show animals to an exhibition held in a BTV-4 or BTV-8 Restriction Zone on the Continent, and then return them back to the Great Britain (a BTV Free Area), the animals will need to be fully vaccinated against either or both virus serotypes (BTV-4 and BTV-8) prior to leaving Great Britain. As there is no commercially available vaccine to protect against BTV-3, it is advisable not to export live ruminants to the Netherlands, Belgium, or Germany at this time. We will continue to monitor the current situation
Looking at the map, the centre point is pretty much Howletts Wildlife Park. Haven't read all the blurb that has come out, have they said the species or is it just an 'animal' ?
edit: Defra blurb says its a cow. Identified by 'routine bluetongue surveillance', didn't know there was such a thing.
edit: Defra blurb says its a cow. Identified by 'routine bluetongue surveillance', didn't know there was such a thing.
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serf
Member
- Location
- warwickshire
Never fails !!
always crap turning up through the 90s just as things started to recover ....
beardface
Member
- Location
- East Yorkshire
Be one to watch for next year as midge activity will be tailing off now. No doubt it will spread amd well be advised to routinely vaccinate at a nicely inflated vaccine price 🫣
- Location
- Shropshire
The vets sent blue tongue vaccine advice with the last monthly invoice!
I assume they will have appropriate amounts of vaccine in stock ready
I assume they will have appropriate amounts of vaccine in stock ready
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
There is NO vaccine available for BTV3, anywhere.
Cows are supposed to shrug it off iirc, but our friends over the Channel are seeing sheep mortality rates of up to 70%.
- Location
- East Sussex
Sheep that are not housed are very unlikely to have any issues.
The virus (Midges) needs to have temperatures above 15'C to be able to replicate. Even with the present mild conditions we are seeing night time temperatures down in single figures and daytime around 12'C max.
I would be concerned with anyone finishing lambs inside.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
I hope you're right. I wouldn't have expected it to travel far at this time of year anyway, but next year is the real worry, when it will be likely to arrive again.
I have a lamb to go to N.Ireland at some stage and we were only saying the other day that it would be sensible to get him shifted over the winter, as we could likely see live animal exports shut down from BT next year. Hopefully contained for now, and wont get up here to my housed lambs!
- Location
- East Sussex
It has been incredibly mild with temperatures in October often above 20'C.
Luckily the winds have been mostly from the west and only a short southerly gale which is probably how this one cow has been affected. It is likely that there are other cattle with it but they don't often show any symptoms, it said that this was found during routine surveillance.
The worst affected area in the EU has been Eastern France, Belgium and Holland.
What we need is a cold winter and it will disappear.
i hope so!
I am told that there is a vaccine in SA that maybe suitable
- Location
- Western Washington
Damn.
- Location
- East Sussex
There is virtually no live export anyway.
What there is has to go via Ireland.