From: "Sonja van Baardwijk-Holten"
> > From: "Sonja van Baardwijk-Holten"
> >
> > The vaccine doesn't give complete immunity, vaccinated animals can
> > still carry the disease, and the vaccine has to be renewed every year.
>
> Animals that carry the disease and are vaccinated on top of this, usually
get
> the disease within one week after vaccination. They live through it or
die. So
> one way or the other the problem is resolved. A general vaccination policy
still
> saves a lot of animals lives if you ask me.
My information is that previously uninfected vaccinated animals
can become carriers, either as a direct result of the vaccination
when infected later.
Neither infection nor vaccination give life long immunity.
> Recently there has also been a vaccine (developed in the Netherlands) that
> apparently makes it possible to make a distinction between vaccinated and
> cariers. They had to put it away because no one was interested to get it
to
> market. The non vaccination policy of the EU rules.
In the UK MAFF has displayed great incompetence, failing to follow
the advice drawn from the 67 epidemic. It's not surprising they
valued rules over results.
There's certainly interest in such improved vaccines now.
>
> > Foot and mouth infects all cloven-hooved animal, greatly reduces
> > milk production, and can kill young animals.
>
> Yes, it can but once the disease is under controll, eg all animals are
> vaccinated the ones that carry will get ill much quicker then they do now.
If
> they survive they are immune as well,
But not for long.
> if they don't, well they don't. Still
> preferable to slaughtering thousends because f.i. one pig has symptoms
that
> resembles foot and mouth but finally isn't diagnosed to be ill. Oops,
sorry,
> mistake other disease? Yeah tell that to the farmers that have their
stables
> cleared because of this.
The question is whether the current vaccine would be any better in
the long run. The answer is unclear.
>
> > The current slaughter policy isn't satisfactory, but neither is
> > the current vaccine. I don't think there are any good solutions.
>
> Problem with the current policy is that it doesn't prevent the disease
from
> spreading. It keeps on spreading. At a lower pace but it's still
spreading. The
> rate this is going we'll end up having to use vaccination anyway. Why not
right
> away.
>
The current policy worked on the Isle of Wight in the early 80's, and as
worked
in France.
If the outbreak is small then slaughter is clearly the best policy, but the
current
outbreak is not small. Vaccination might be the best policy now, some of
your
points are good, but the situation is too unclear for me to advocate any
policy.
--
Robert
