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| Bluetongue declared an outbreak | Bluetongue declared an outbreak |
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| A protection zone has been set up in Suffolk after government vets confirmed bluetongue disease was circulating in the UK and was classed as an outbreak. | A protection zone has been set up in Suffolk after government vets confirmed bluetongue disease was circulating in the UK and was classed as an outbreak. |
| Deputy chief vet Fred Landeg said test results had shown the disease, which is transmitted by biting midges, was passing between livestock. | Deputy chief vet Fred Landeg said test results had shown the disease, which is transmitted by biting midges, was passing between livestock. |
| So far there have been five confirmed cases of the disease. All the animals which tested positive have been culled. | So far there have been five confirmed cases of the disease. All the animals which tested positive have been culled. |
| The zone will be a minimum of 150km (93 miles) around infected premises. | The zone will be a minimum of 150km (93 miles) around infected premises. |
| A stricter 20km control zone has also been set up around the known bluetongue cases, with restrictions preventing animals being moved out of both zones. | |
| European spread | European spread |
| Mr Landeg told a news conference that laboratory results and the number of cases of bluetongue in Suffolk indicated the disease was circulating in the animal and the midge populations in the county. | Mr Landeg told a news conference that laboratory results and the number of cases of bluetongue in Suffolk indicated the disease was circulating in the animal and the midge populations in the county. |
| He said it had probably entered the country through midges from northern Europe. | |
| There have been nearly 3,000 cases of bluetongue in the region - including the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany - since July, which had fuelled fears of its arrival in the UK. | |
| Unless we do have that very severe winter it is likely, given the Northern European experience, that the disease will re-emerge next year Deputy chief vet Fred Landeg | Unless we do have that very severe winter it is likely, given the Northern European experience, that the disease will re-emerge next year Deputy chief vet Fred Landeg |
| Mr Landeg said: "We had a meeting of our bluetongue expert group, and taking that advice and given the recent experience in northern Europe, I can now confirm we do have bluetongue virus circulating in this country." | Mr Landeg said: "We had a meeting of our bluetongue expert group, and taking that advice and given the recent experience in northern Europe, I can now confirm we do have bluetongue virus circulating in this country." |
| He said the aim now was to "contain the disease to that part of the country where we have these confirmed cases", but he warned that bluetongue was a very different disease to control to foot-and-mouth. | He said the aim now was to "contain the disease to that part of the country where we have these confirmed cases", but he warned that bluetongue was a very different disease to control to foot-and-mouth. |
| Mr Landeg ruled out a cull because the disease could not be passed from animal to animal and it would not help stamp it out. | Mr Landeg ruled out a cull because the disease could not be passed from animal to animal and it would not help stamp it out. |
| A cold winter could help eradicate the virus, he said, but he warned that it was likely there would be a "large" number of cases before then, and that it could return afterwards. | A cold winter could help eradicate the virus, he said, but he warned that it was likely there would be a "large" number of cases before then, and that it could return afterwards. |
| "Unless we do have that very severe winter it is likely, given the northern European experience, that the disease will re-emerge next year." | "Unless we do have that very severe winter it is likely, given the northern European experience, that the disease will re-emerge next year." |
| There was currently no available vaccine for this strain of the virus, but it did not "pose any risk to human health", he said. | |
| Latest cases | Latest cases |
| Ben Woolf, a cattle farmer from the affected area in Suffolk, told BBC News 24 he expected the economic effect to be similar to that of foot-and-mouth, but over a longer period. | |
| "At the moment it's really a case of possibly applying some sort of fly repellent to the animals, and then hoping for a vaccine to be developed sooner rather than later," he said. | |
| The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced the fifth case of bluetongue on Thursday at a farm near Burstall in Suffolk. | |
| Other cases were confirmed at Washbrook near Ipswich, a farm in Lound and in two animals on a rare breeds farm in Baylham, near Ipswich. | Other cases were confirmed at Washbrook near Ipswich, a farm in Lound and in two animals on a rare breeds farm in Baylham, near Ipswich. |
| The strain, first detected on Saturday, is the same as one that has killed livestock in Europe. | |
| The virus is spread by midges and affects cattle, sheep, goats and deer. | The virus is spread by midges and affects cattle, sheep, goats and deer. |
| Animals with the disease experience discomfort, with flu-like symptoms, and swelling and haemorrhaging in and around the mouth and nose. They can also go lame and have difficulty eating. | Animals with the disease experience discomfort, with flu-like symptoms, and swelling and haemorrhaging in and around the mouth and nose. They can also go lame and have difficulty eating. |