East of country ‘more at risk’ in virus alert

The cattle case in West Sussex comes in addition to more than 30 confirmed cases in sheep in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Kent, East Sussex and Hertfordshire.

The National Beef Association said that the east of the country is at “particular risk” and its chairman Hamish McBean urged farmers right across the country to be on high alert, as experts do not know enough about the disease yet.

So far no cases of the virus, which affects only cattle, sheep and goats, have been confirmed in Yorkshire.

Mr McBean says: “This disease is very serious. If a cow loses her calf you’ve lost your whole year’s production from that animal. And there is also the risk of losing the cow herself if her offspring is deformed enough to cause calving difficulties.

“The NBA recommends calling your vet if you are in any doubt – it is better to report something that turns out to be nothing than to assume it’s not Schmallenberg.

“Aside from this terrible disease, we strongly believe farmers should have any cases of abortion investigated anyway. Even if it’s not Schmallenberg, it might be neospora or some other production disease that should be tackled through a team approach with your vet anyway.

“If a cow drops a calf and you don’t do anything about it, before you know it you might have lost three or four and have a serious problem – so get your vet involved. And consider sending those cast cows down the road afterwards, as no one can afford to have empty cows running about the place, regardless of how young or old they are, especially not with the strong market price for cull cows at the moment.”

The dedication of the illness in cattle follows a pattern which has been seen across other places in Europe to have experienced outbreaks of Schmallenberg Virus, with the virus being found in sheep first,

A spokesman for the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency said that, at present, a Europe-wide assessment has concluded that Schmallenberg Virus 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.

A vaccine is currently under development but it could be two years or more before it is widely available.

Schmallenberg can cause congenital defects in close to term and newborn lambs, calves and goat kids.

They include twisted joints, limbs and neck.

What action to take

The Health Protection Agency has offered the following advice to people regarding the Schmallenberg Virus.

Pregnant women should follow existing Defra guidance that advises them to avoid close contact with animals that are giving birth. This includes avoiding contact with newborn or aborted lambs, calves or kids, avoiding handling clothing or boots that may have come into contact with these animals and ensuring partners take hygiene precautions.