SBV vaccine 'two years away'
Dr Dan Tucker
The scientist leading the investigation into the spread of the Schmallenberg Virus, Dr Dan Tucker (Director of Studies in Veterinary Medicine at Pembroke College – Cambridge University), has warned that the development of a vaccine against the virus could be as far as two years away. At time of writing, 83 cases of SBV had been confirmed in UK territory and over 1000 had been confirmed across Europe as a whole.
Dr Tucker stated that the number of detected cases could soon rise due to the imminent start of lambing and calving after a large number of pregnant livestock were exposed to a plume of midges entering UK territory from the Continent in October. “Sheep and cows pregnant at the time are now coming to term and the defects are being discovered.” he said, before adding “I advise farmers to try and keep midges away from animals.”
However, Dr Tucker also noted a possible precedent that might shed light on the poorly-understood virus. “An outbreak of a similar virus in Australia and Japan showed that animals developed immunity after the first attack but the critical time is in early pregnancy.” he said.
A breakdown of case locations and numbers is available at the AHVLA website.
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
