Brussels, 03/04/2012 (Agence Europe) - The number of ruminants affected by the Schmallenberg virus in eight countries of the EU (Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain) is low as a proportion of the total number of animals in each of these countries, said the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) on Tuesday 3 April. The day before, it published its second report on the Schmallenberg virus, which has hit hundreds of farms in Europe. This report was presented at a major international conference on the disease, which was held in Brussels.
EFSA states that the virus can affect domestic ruminants and wild ones alike, and can in certain cases lead to severe birth defects in ruminants. The data collected by the member states has allowed EFSA to analyse the current geographical distribution and impact of the disease in the EU. “Some caution nevertheless should be exerted when interpreting the data as underreporting or lack of diagnostic confirmation may affect the picture that we have today of the prevalence of the disease”, EFSA however adds.
All of the member states in question have reported the number of confirmed cases of ruminants carrying the Schmallenberg virus (following PCR testing or serological confirmation), but only France and Italy have also reported the number of suspected herds. According to EFSA, the number of confirmed cases (by PCR test or serological confirmation) “can constitute an underestimation of the number of infected herds, in particular for calves”. As regards the temporal distribution of confirmed herds, “an increase in the number of confirmed herds is observed up to the ninth week of the year 2012, followed by a steep decrease in the weeks 10 and 11” (however, there is data missing for the last weeks). The observed pattern of case detection per species is in accordance with the hypothesis that infection may have occurred during a certain period of the gestation.
The Schmallenberg virus presents a negligible risk to human health, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) stated on 16 February. Russia and Belarus recently suspended imports of certain types of cattle, horned cattle notably, from the European Union due to the spread of the virus. The disease causes fever and diarrhoea in adult animals, but can lead to foetal defects or miscarriage if it affects pregnant females. There is currently no vaccination against the disease, which the OIE believes is probably spread by mosquitoes or other small stinging insects. (LC/transl.fl)