UK approves vaccine against Schmallenberg virus which attacks pregnant cattle and sheep

Wednesday, May 22nd 2013 - 10:28 UTC

Full article 3 comments

A vaccine to protect sheep and cattle from a virus spread by midges has been approved by UK government vets. The virus, which emerged in the Netherlands and Germany in 2011, can lead to sheep and cattle having stillborn or deformed offspring. Read full article

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Britworker
Another great headline from the South American news agency.
May 22nd, 2013 - 01:26 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Rufus
Schmallenberg isn't a solely British problem (it was first seen in north-west Germany in 2011 and has been spreading ever since), what makes it a problem is that it is a virus with an insect vector (midges).
I'm not sure what the range of the average midge is, but it's a fair few miles (minimum 30 if it's made it across the channel), and it's not as if the entire western hemisphere is midge free (the obvious example being Culicoides paraensis - the species that carries Oropouche fever, that is found pretty much everywhere on both continents where the weather isn't cold enough to kill it (so everywhere except Canada). So vaccination in the UK (and everywhere else) is in everyone's interest.
May 22nd, 2013 - 03:12 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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ChrisR
Excellent news for all farmers everywhere.

It is very upsetting to see the deformities that this midge borne disease causes, but hopefully not for much longer.
May 22nd, 2013 - 07:12 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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