Brussels, 15/11/2010 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is taking advantage of technological developments to consolidate the suppression of bluetongue disease in the European Union. On Monday 15 November, it adopted a proposal to amend Directive 2000/75/EC setting out specific provisions to tackle and eradicate bluetongue, with wider and more flexible use of vaccines against this disease which affects ruminants - cattle, sheep and goats - and which is spread through various mosquito-like flies. If the proposal is adopted by the Council and the European Parliament, the new rules are expected to come into force in 2011.
Thanks to a huge vaccination campaign and the recent development of new vaccines, only 120 outbreaks were reported throughout the EU in 2010, compared to 45,000 in 2008, said European Health Commissioner John Dalli. He added: “We have to learn from lessons from the past, and I think it is time to change the current rules on vaccination, so that we can better prevent future major outbreaks”. The proposal to amend Directive 2000/75/EC follows the principle of “prevention is better than cure” and gives member states more flexibility to develop national vaccination strategies for the prevention and control of bluetongue, the Commission says. Currently, the rules prohibit the use of vaccination in areas that are now bluetongue-free. The amendment changes this, thus opening the way for preventive vaccination. (L.C./transl.rt)