Brussels, 15/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 15 December, the Council of Ministers of the EU adopted without debate its position in a first reading on the directive to update the current rules on vaccination against bluetongue, set out in Directive 2000/75/EC, by making them more flexible. Bluetongue is a disease affecting ruminants (such as cattle, sheep and goats) and is transmitted by insect vectors that spread the virus from one animal to another. Vaccination is the preferred tool for bluetongue control and prevention of clinical disease in the EU. The use of vaccines is, however, limited by the current rules set out in Directive 2000/75/EC that foresee the use of vaccines only in areas where the disease occurred and which have therefore been subject to animal movement restrictions. These rules are based on experience with the so-called “modified live vaccines” or “live attenuated vaccines” which were the only vaccines available when the directive was adopted a decade ago. These vaccines may lead to undesired circulation of the vaccine virus in unvaccinated animals in the areas where the vaccine has been used.
The new flexible rules introduced by the draft directive are based on the fact that inactivated vaccines are now available, which can also be successfully used outside areas subject to animal movement restrictions. The use of this kind of vaccine during the 2008 and 2009 vaccination campaigns helped to improve the health situation considerably. The Council's position confirms the objectives set out by the Commission and includes almost all the amendments submitted by the European Parliament in its first reading. (LC/transl.fl)