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Sir
Brian Follett repeats fallacies
of UK FMD2001
James Irvine
Teviot Scientific, Cultybraggan Farm, Comrie,
Perthshire
Filed 06 Aug 07
©www.land-care.org.uk
Writing in The Times on Sunday 5th August
(1), Sir Brian Follett repeated
two of the fallacies that were to the fore in 2001, when Foot and
Mouth Disease (FMD) was having such a devastating affect on our
nation.
"This (the management of FMD)
is not a matter of science. It is a social and cultural issue"
Hopefully, the watershed that he refers to in
the way we handle these events should include the realisation that
disease cannot be controlled by political means if the relevant
science is ignored.
What is striking is that the current president
of the NFU realises this. He clearly stated in a recent TV interview
that the NFU would follow what science dictated.
It is strange indeed when the NFU is ahead in
its thinking compared the person who was the Chairman of the Royal
Society (England) report on Infectious Diseases of Livestock.that
followed the FMD outbreak in 2001, and who was formerly the president
of the most distinguished body of academics in the land.
The second fallacy reiterated by Sir Brian in
yesterday's Times article was:
"A vaccinated animal is protected against
developing symptoms but may be a carrier — so such animals
cannot be moved"
While there may be evidence of vaccinated animals
being carriers and possibly transmitting disease, when studies are
done in a research environment with small numbers, extensive experience
in the field throughout the globe has not shown this to be the case.
Besides, if you want to be certain in the case of an individual
animal, then tests both for virus and for antibodies can be done.
But, in general, herd immunity will effectively cope with the problem.
What is needed is the fullest application
of science to the management of outbreaks of FMD and of similar
diseases.We certainly do not want highly influential persons advocating
that science should take second place to politics. The populace
should also be given the credit of understanding the reasoning of
science if it is properly presented to them.
©www/land-care.org.uk
Reference
1. Follett, Sir Brian (2007).
Tough choice of kill or vaccinate
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article2199136.ece |
