An independent report has called for the government's Institute for Animal Health (IAH) to be remodeled after the foot and mouth disease outbreak in the UK last year. 
The virus should never have escaped from Pirbright in Surrey, says Dr Iain Anderson.
Dr Iain Anderson, who chaired the review as well as the previous inquiry into the 2001 outbreak, compared the handling of this episode with the one in 2001.
In particular, the virus should never have escaped from Pirbright in Surrey, said Dr Anderson. He criticized the regulatory systems in place, echoing the three previous reports on the 2007 incident.
"The FMD outbreak in 2007 was avoidable - the creeping degradation of standards that led to the outbreak must never be allowed again. The structural and management inadequacies at and around Pirbright must be addressed urgently and comprehensively."
He concluded that the management of the 2007 outbreak was much better than in 2001, but that there were lessons to be learnt.
The report recommends that the IAH be repositioned as a National Institute of Infectious Disease, with multiple funding from government and other sources.
"The research conducted at IAH is world class and needs to be positioned at the centre of the national strategy for animal health. It is critical to the nation's capacity to prepare for and respond to the evolving animal disease and zoonotic risk. However, the facilities fall well short of internationally recognized standards."....
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