FMD control — vaccination or slaughter?

The latest case of FMD in the UK has re-opened the debate as to whether vacci- nation is a better method to control the spread of the virus than compulsory slaughter. More › The HSE report › Anger over 'own goal' infection › Photo Gallery: Media scrutiny › Outbreak linked to Merial lab › Merial Statements › IAH Statements › The disease explained › Animal disease trends › Cattle: Herd size and production › Blog: Foot in mouth....

The initial findings of the Investigation into the UK's foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak conclude that the Pirbright laboratories are the most likely source of the virus, with deliberate or accidental release through human movement the probable cause. However, it has not indicated which facility is the more likely origin of the infection.

A multidisciplinary team led by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which includes veterinary, environmental and government scientists, reviewed biosecurity at the two Pirbright laboratories run by the Institute of Animal Health (IAH) and Merial Animal Health. It concentrated on activities at the labs between the 14th and 25th of July. It is clear that Merial's activities, involving 10,000 litres of virus, were on a considerably greater scale than that at the IAH where a number of small scale experiments using less than 10ml virus each were in progress.

The HSE concludes that there is a strong probability that the FMD virus originated from one of the two labs at Pirbright, although further molecular analysis of the virus types is ongoing. The report rules out the airborne release of the virus from either laboratory and states that the possibility of waterborne transmission from the Pirbright site to the first infected farm is negligible. There are a number of issues on the chemical treatment of liquid effluents raised, but Merial, in a subsequent statement says that all its waste water from virus manufacture is treated and then passed onto IAH for further treatment before discharge.

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Therefore, the report concludes that the release by human movement must be a real possibility. There are "various potential routes for accidental or deliberate transfer of material from the site", it says and it is continuing to urgently pursue a number of lines of enquiry.

Merial reiterates its earlier statement that it has complete confidence in its processes and procedures, and says that "to date, we have not been able to establish any evidence that the virus may have been transported out of our centre by humans."