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ABNORMALITIES: A lamb affected by arthrogryposis - persistent flexion of the joints - which is one of the congenital abnormalities associated with SBV infection.[/caption]
THE newly-elected chairman of the FUW's animal health committee has urged Welsh farmers to be vigilant following confirmation by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) of an outbreak of the Schmallenberg Virus (SBV) in the UK for the first time.
Catherine Nakielny said: "At the inaugural meeting of the new committee on January 20 delegates had an update on this concerning disease from chief veterinary officer for Wales Professor Christianne Glossop.
"I would reiterate her warning that all farmers in Wales need to be on the lookout for any unusually high incidences of abortion or congenital abnormalities - deformed lambs, swollen heads, weak lambs etc. They should report anything unusual to their veterinarian," Dr Nakielny added.
On January 23 AHVLA revealed they had finished the initial analysis of samples received as a result of its enhanced surveillance for this new disease.
"We have identified the Schmallenberg Virus in some of these samples and as we continue surveillance we may find further cases," an AHVLA spokesman warned.
The samples came from the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and East Sussex which are in the area identified as potentially being at risk from infected midges blown across the Channel from the affected areas and AHVLA suspect this is the most likely cause of transmission.
"Since August 2011, both the Netherlands and Germany have reported outbreaks of a disease in cattle with clinical signs including fever, reduced milk yield, inappetence, loss of body condition and, principally in Dutch herds, diarrhea," the spokesman said.
"Herds experienced outbreaks of disease lasting two to three weeks, with individual affected animals recovering over several days. More recently (November 2011 onwards) there have been reports of miscarriages and stillbirths associated with congenital (present at birth) abnormalities affecting mainly sheep but also cattle and goats.
"Tests carried out on cases in Germany and the Netherlands have identified a novel virus that has tentatively been named Schmallenberg virus (SBV). This virus appears to belong to a group of viruses that are spread by insect vectors, principally midges and mosquitoes, although a vector that may be responsible for transmission of SBV has not been identified yet.
"According to an initial risk assessment carried out by public health authorities in the Netherlands and a follow-up risk assessment by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, although there are still some uncertainties, the risk to human health from SBV is likely to be very low.
"Nevertheless, farmers and veterinary surgeons are advised to take sensible hygiene precautions when working with livestock."
Further information, including an AHVLA briefing note on the current situation, can be found on the international disease monitoring page on the Defra website. Contact your local AHVLA Regional Laboratory or SAC Disease Surveillance Centre if you require further guidance or information.