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Letters
Letters BOVINE TB
TB control strategy WE wish to state our support for the recent actions taken by Defra and the Chief Veterinary Officer, and for extensions to and the continuation through to completion of the pilot badger culls in west Somerset and Gloucestershire. The independent panel of experts will review the pilots and will report in due course in accordance with the objectives of the pilots. While convenient to latch on to scientific developments such as PCR technology, new diagnostics and vaccination as alternatives to current policy, ultimately, we as veterinarians must have confidence in their application as we do with any new development in the veterinary sphere. While we consider that vaccination could have an important role to play with bovine TB, the recent statement from EU commissioner Tonio Borg (Defra 2013) and the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRACom) report (EFRACom 2013) on TB vaccination accurately reflect the work that still needs to be done and the limitations and restrictions to incorporating vaccination within the broader TB control programme at the current time. It is not acceptable to preside over an annual cull of some 30,000 cattle without a strategy that effectively addresses the risks posed by a wildlife reservoir (Donnelly and Nouvellet 2013), which accounts for up to half of new breakdowns in endemic parts of the country. The British Cattle Veterinary Association will continue to devote time and expertise to ensure a broad holistic TB control strategy is delivered effectively using all available options, and that aims to address all sources of infection, such that we are able to bear down on Mycobacterium bovis, which ultimately will benefit all susceptible species. The involvement of the local veterinarian in the programme and proper integration with other stakeholders is integral to such progress and we wish to draw attention to an example of crosssector collaboration in the introduction of risk-based trading at Chelford Market on November 9 (VR, November 2, 2013, vol 173, p 408). This is an important initiative that seeks to facilitate the passage of TB information between buyers and sellers, a principle clearly not unique to bovine TB. We consider this a step towards another key recommendation made by Defra’s Risk based Trading Group, that of a national database. Such a development would be
of clear benefit over and above bovine TB and we have put forward clear proposals to Defra and government for a new governance structure, Animal Health England, which could oversee such a development and would ensure key industry stakeholders are at the centre of disease control and surveillance, rather than risking the imposition of a fragmented system of delivery that makes little use of, or, at worse, adversely impacts upon, the experienced veterinary infrastructure that currently exists. Declan O’Rourke, Neil Blake, BCVA, 17 The Glenmore Centre, Waterwells Business Park, Quedgeley, Gloucester GL2 2AP e-mail: [email protected]
References
DEFRA (2013) Bovine TB eradication programme: letter from the European Commission to Owen Paterson. www.gov.uk/government/publications/bovine-tberadication-programme-letter-from-the-europeancommission-to-owen-paterson. Accessed November 11, 2013
DONNELLY, C. A. & NOUVELLET, P. (2013) The contribution of badgers to confirmed tuberculosis in cattle in high-incidence areas in England. http:// currents.plos.org/outbreaks/article/the-contribution-ofbadger-to-cattle-tb-incidence-in-high-cattle-incidenceareas. Accessed November 11, 2013 EFRACOM (2013) Vaccination against bovine TB: Second Report of Session 2013–14. www. publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/ cmenvfru/258/258.pdf. Accessed November 11, 2013
doi: 10.1136/vr.f6818
RABIES
Pre-exposure rabies immunisation THE Viewpoint article by Jude Dawson (VR, October 12, 2013, vol 173, pp 348-349) raises more than the issue of whether the NHS should supply rabies vaccine for free for pre-exposure immunisation of those
November 16, 2013 | Veterinary Record | 481
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on June 27, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
TB control strategy Declan O'Rourke and Neil Blake Veterinary Record 2013 173: 481
doi: 10.1136/vr.f6818 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/173/19/481.1
These include:
Email alerting service
Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up in the box at the top right corner of the online article.
Notes
To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
Letters
Letters BOVINE TB
TB control strategy WE wish to state our support for the recent actions taken by Defra and the Chief Veterinary Officer, and for extensions to and the continuation through to completion of the pilot badger culls in west Somerset and Gloucestershire. The independent panel of experts will review the pilots and will report in due course in accordance with the objectives of the pilots. While convenient to latch on to scientific developments such as PCR technology, new diagnostics and vaccination as alternatives to current policy, ultimately, we as veterinarians must have confidence in their application as we do with any new development in the veterinary sphere. While we consider that vaccination could have an important role to play with bovine TB, the recent statement from EU commissioner Tonio Borg (Defra 2013) and the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRACom) report (EFRACom 2013) on TB vaccination accurately reflect the work that still needs to be done and the limitations and restrictions to incorporating vaccination within the broader TB control programme at the current time. It is not acceptable to preside over an annual cull of some 30,000 cattle without a strategy that effectively addresses the risks posed by a wildlife reservoir (Donnelly and Nouvellet 2013), which accounts for up to half of new breakdowns in endemic parts of the country. The British Cattle Veterinary Association will continue to devote time and expertise to ensure a broad holistic TB control strategy is delivered effectively using all available options, and that aims to address all sources of infection, such that we are able to bear down on Mycobacterium bovis, which ultimately will benefit all susceptible species. The involvement of the local veterinarian in the programme and proper integration with other stakeholders is integral to such progress and we wish to draw attention to an example of crosssector collaboration in the introduction of risk-based trading at Chelford Market on November 9 (VR, November 2, 2013, vol 173, p 408). This is an important initiative that seeks to facilitate the passage of TB information between buyers and sellers, a principle clearly not unique to bovine TB. We consider this a step towards another key recommendation made by Defra’s Risk based Trading Group, that of a national database. Such a development would be
of clear benefit over and above bovine TB and we have put forward clear proposals to Defra and government for a new governance structure, Animal Health England, which could oversee such a development and would ensure key industry stakeholders are at the centre of disease control and surveillance, rather than risking the imposition of a fragmented system of delivery that makes little use of, or, at worse, adversely impacts upon, the experienced veterinary infrastructure that currently exists. Declan O’Rourke, Neil Blake, BCVA, 17 The Glenmore Centre, Waterwells Business Park, Quedgeley, Gloucester GL2 2AP e-mail: [email protected]
References
DEFRA (2013) Bovine TB eradication programme: letter from the European Commission to Owen Paterson. www.gov.uk/government/publications/bovine-tberadication-programme-letter-from-the-europeancommission-to-owen-paterson. Accessed November 11, 2013
DONNELLY, C. A. & NOUVELLET, P. (2013) The contribution of badgers to confirmed tuberculosis in cattle in high-incidence areas in England. http:// currents.plos.org/outbreaks/article/the-contribution-ofbadger-to-cattle-tb-incidence-in-high-cattle-incidenceareas. Accessed November 11, 2013 EFRACOM (2013) Vaccination against bovine TB: Second Report of Session 2013–14. www. publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/ cmenvfru/258/258.pdf. Accessed November 11, 2013
doi: 10.1136/vr.f6818
RABIES
Pre-exposure rabies immunisation THE Viewpoint article by Jude Dawson (VR, October 12, 2013, vol 173, pp 348-349) raises more than the issue of whether the NHS should supply rabies vaccine for free for pre-exposure immunisation of those
November 16, 2013 | Veterinary Record | 481
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on June 27, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
TB control strategy Declan O'Rourke and Neil Blake Veterinary Record 2013 173: 481
doi: 10.1136/vr.f6818 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/173/19/481.1
These include:
Email alerting service
Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up in the box at the top right corner of the online article.
Notes
To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
