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Debby Reynolds, UK Chief Vet, places surprising
report to OIE on H5N1 episode
James Irvine
Teviot Scientific, Edinburgh & Perthshire
Filed 18 Apr 06
©www.land-care.org.uk
Just what is going on at defra continues to amaze.
The O.I.E website is a fund of information as
to what is happening in terms of infectious diseases of livestock
around the world - avian influenza type H5N1 included. So the UK's
Chief Vet, Debbie Reynolds, duly sent in the obligatory report on
the UK's first recent experience with H5N1 as it hit Cellardyke
in the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland.
The value of the information presented by OIE
obviously depends on the accuracy of what is submitted to it from
the authorities in the different countries
Her report, together with its full web address,
can be viewed in pdf format by Clicking
Here.
What is all this about?
"Control measures undertaken: - vaccination"
"Other details/comments: - Prophylactic
vaccination of poultry is undertaken routinely"
This of course is in direct contradiction to what
defra says on its own website, and what the Chief Scientist, Professor
Sir David King, has been pronouncing to all and sundry on TV, and
what Debbie Reynolds herself has said on TV:
"currently available vaccines (to protect against H5N1)
are not sufficiently effective and the UK Government has no plans
to use them for commercial poultry at the present time"
Somehow defra just seems incapable of getting
its act together.
Remember how they allegedly wrongly advised the
conservation bodies for water birds (such as waders) how to take
samples when carrying out a survey of wildlife for Avian Flu H5N1.
It would appear that all 3500 odd samples in this venture were worse
than useless, because they were not preserved correctly between
the time of taking the sample and the sample getting to the appropriate
laboratory - raising the strong possibility of false negative results.
Defra had issued the wrong advice to the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust
(WWT) (1).
Reports that falsely claim freedom from disease
when that may not be the case is dangerous in the extreme.
Now it appears defra cannot even file a simple
report to the OIE accurately.
Oh dear! Oh dearie me! It would laughable, if
it were not so serious.
One could almost hear the highly respected and
diplomatic Professor Pennington saying with characteristic understatement
"defra should sharpen up a bit".
But I would add
"and stop misleading everybody".
According to the report to the OIE, if it
is to be believed, the laboratory at Weybridge, Surrey is using
RT-PCR technology, but taking an awfully long time about it (2).
Perhaps some day Weybridge may get round
to catching on to what Roger Breeze (and the late Fred Brown before
him) have been advocating about rapid on farm testing (3).
That is, of course, if they can overcome their alleged conflicting
commercial interests that seem to prevent them buying the expertise
developed by others.
©www.land-care.org.uk
1. Irvine, James (2006). Serious
concerns about how DEFRA organised the collection of samples for
Avian Flu testing.
See ANIMAL HEALTH - GENERAL - Homepage, filed 14 Apr 06,
www.land-care.org.uk
Click
Here to View
2. Linklater, Magnus (2006). Defra
is like a dead swan. Discuss.
See ANIMAL HEALTH - GENERAL - Homepage, filed 12 Apr 06,
www.land-care.org.uk
Reproduced from The Times 12th April 2006 with permission. Click
Here to View
3. Breeze, Roger (2006).
Further comments on diagnostic testing for Avian Flu
and other diseases of livestock. Letter
to Editor.
See ANIMAL HEALTH - GENERAL - Homepage, filed 12 Apr
06, www.land-care.org.uk Click
Here to View
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