Lamb virus case numbers are rising (From Salisbury Journal)

Lamb virus case numbers are rising

11:27am Thursday 16th February 2012 in Rural Focus By Anne Connon

INCREASING incidences of Schmallenberg virus (SBV) have been found in sheep on farms in southern England.

From four farms affected in January, the figure had risen to 29 farms by the middle of last week.

The Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) has found SBV-positive lambs at premises in Norfolk (11 cases), Suffolk (six), Essex (two), Kent (five), East Sussex (seven), West Sussex (one) and Hertfordshire (one).

Defra says infection is likely to have occurred in the summer or autumn of last year.

The locations of UK cases would support the suspicion that transmission is by midges, rather than mosquitoes or ticks, and that the infection blew in from northern mainland Europe.

Enhanced surveillance for SBV infection has been implemented across the UK, and the number of samples submitted to AHVLA for SBV testing continues to increase.

Other affected countries have also detected the virus in cattle.

There are now confirmed Schmallenberg cases in five EU member states, with Germany worst affected with 150 sheep farms producing positive tests.

The Netherlands has identified SBV on three cattle farms, 84 sheep farms and four goat farms.

Belgium has reported finding virus-positive lambs with congenital deformities on 61 premises in several regions, and also a six-month calf foetus where the herd had reported milk drop during the summer and three cattle subsequently tested positive for the virus.

In France, high risk zones remain in place (Alsace, Lorraine, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Picardie, Champagne-Ardennes) and there have been 13 reports of virus identified.

EU member states’ representatives on the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health are discussing a strategy to deal with the virus.

At present, a Europe-wide assessment has concluded that SBV is unlikely to cause illness in people. However, as this is a new virus, work is ongoing to identify whether it could cause any health problems in humans.

For further information, visit the Health Protection Agency website at hpa.org.uk.