UK, Westbury - Second case of Anthrax confirmed - OIE

[Gert van der Hoek]

Anthrax, United Kingdom

Information received on 26/10/2015 from Dr Nigel Gibbens, Chief Veterinary Officer, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, LONDON, United Kingdom

Summary Report type Immediate notification Date of start of the event 21/10/2015 Date of confirmation of the event 23/10/2015 Report date 26/10/2015 Date submitted to OIE 26/10/2015 Reason for notification Reoccurrence of a listed disease Date of previous occurrence 12/05/2006 Manifestation of disease Clinical disease Causal agent Bacillus anthracis Nature of diagnosis Laboratory (advanced) This event pertains to a defined zone within the country

New outbreaks (1)

Outbreak 1 (AX2015/01) Westbury, Wiltshire, Trowbridge, ENGLAND Date of start of the outbreak 21/10/2015 Outbreak status Continuing (or date resolved not provided) Epidemiological unit Farm Affected animals Species Susceptible Cases Deaths Destroyed Slaughtered Cattle 352 1 1 0 0 Affected population Beef suckler cattle ? approximately 174 cows with calves at foot and 6 bulls - all grazing.

Summary of outbreaks Total outbreaks: 1 Total animals affected Species Susceptible Cases Deaths Destroyed Slaughtered Cattle 352 1 1 0 0 Outbreak statistics Species Apparent morbidity rate Apparent mortality rate Apparent case fatality rate Proportion susceptible animals lost* Cattle 0.28% 0.28% 100.00% 0.28% *Removed from the susceptible population through death, destruction and/or slaughter

Epidemiology Source of the outbreak(s) or origin of infection Unknown or inconclusive Epidemiological comments Confirmation following the sudden death of a single cow. The epidemiological investigation is ongoing but initial inquiries have disclosed a small number of previous cases at this location approximately 20 years ago.

Control measures Measures applied Movement control inside the country Disinfection / Disinfestation Official disposal of carcasses, by-products and waste No vaccination No treatment of affected animals Measures to be applied No other measures

Diagnostic test results Laboratory name and type Species Test Test date Result Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory, Porton Down, Wiltshire (National laboratory) Cattle pathogenic agent isolation on culture 23/10/2015 Positive Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory, Porton Down, Wiltshire (National laboratory) Cattle polymerase chain reaction (PCR) 23/10/2015 Positive

Future Reporting The event is continuing. Weekly follow-up reports will be submitted.

Map of outbreak locations

[Pathfinder]

Guidance

Anthrax: how to spot and report the disease

From Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Animal and Plant Health Agency
First published:26 August 2014
Last updated:26 October 2015, see all updates
Part of:Notifiable diseases in animals
Applies to:England, Scotland and

How to spot anthrax, what to do if you suspect it and measures to prevent its spread.

Anthrax affects mammals and some species of birds.

These include:
cattle
pigs
horses
sheep
humans

An isolated case of anthrax disease in a cow was confirmed at a farm in Wiltshire in October 2015 following the death of the cow. Movement restrictions were imposed at the farm and the animal’s carcase was incinerated. No other animals have been affected.

The previous outbreak in livestock in Great Britain was in 2006.
...

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/anthrax-...isease#history

[Gert van der Hoek]

27 october 2015

Dead cow at farm in the West Country had been infected with ANTHRAX

• First case of anthrax since outbreak in 2006 was confirmed in Wiltshire
• Another case in Wales last month and it's not known if they are linked
• Disease can cause skin lesions in humans and make them stop breathing
• Public health officials say risk is extremely low and case was contained

[Gert van der Hoek]

Second anthrax case confirmed in West Country


Friday 30 October 2015

A second cow has died from anthrax disease on a farm in Wiltshire, officials from the Animal Health and Plant Agency (Apha) have confirmed. Tests were taken after the cow died on Tuesday (27 October). The cow was from the same herd in the Westbury area as an animal that died earlier this month.