UK FMD Outbreak Weekly Update ? New Outbreak Confirmed -- September 12, 2007

September 12, 2007 — 

• Sept. 12 - DEFRA has confirmed a new outbreak of FMD on a cattle farm in Egham, Surrey located approximately 10 miles from the sites involved in the outbreak which began on Aug. 3rd. (Source: DEFRA).
  • Initial lab testing and clinical signs have confirmed the disease but not the strain of virus.
  • The farm is comprised of several parcels of land. DEFRA has established a 3km Protection Zone and a 10km Surveillance Zone around each site.
  • The herd was immediately culled.
  • Total ban on movements of cattle, sheep, pigs and other ruminants has been imposed in England, Scotland and Wales. No movements will be allowed without a permit. Footpaths are closed within the Protection Zones.
  • In England, controls are in place on movement of animal carcasses, animal gatherings, shearing and dipping are restricted, and all farms must increase levels of biosecurity. In both the Protection and Surveillance Zones, there will be requirements for increased levels of biosecurity on farms, movement controls, controls on transportation of dung/manure and treatment of animal products to ensure destruction of the FMD virus.
• This latest finding comes just four days after DEFRA lifted the last livestock restrictions resulting from the Aug. 3rd outbreak of FMD in Surrey. European Union experts had agreed to declare that the disease had been eradicated from the country effective November 9 and were scheduled to lift a ban on all exports. These decisions have now been suspended.
• The original outbreak lasted for just over a month after the disease was identified on 2 infected premises. Control measures resulted in the culling of approximately 600 animals and cost the British livestock industry an estimated $20 million per week.
• Two investigations have implicated a leakage in a waste water drain pipe located at the Pirbright Laboratory site as the source of the FMD virus which caused the August 3rd outbreak. As a result of these findings, the European Commission has announced that it will inspect 13 facilities authorized to hold samples of FMD virus in member countries across Europe. Four additional facilities are also authorized to work with the FMD virus to produce vaccines. (Source: Digitaljournal.com).