Bluetongue Vaccine Delivered to Zones

UK - Intervet have finished their Bluetongue vaccine production ahead of schedule and now the first million bottles are making their way to wholesalers across the protection zones in England.
calendar icon 30 April 2008
clock icon 2 minute read

The first batch of the vaccine is now available in 20-dose bottles. A larger batch of up to two million doses, produced in 50-dose bottles, is expected to follow within a few days. The vaccine will require one dose in sheep and two doses, given three weeks apart, in cattle.

Environment Secretary, Hilary Benn said:

“We have worked very closely with a core group of industry experts throughout this process, and I am very pleased with the rapid progress that Intervet has made to develop and produce this new vaccine ahead of schedule and in a very tight timescale.

“The success of our control and vaccination strategy will ultimately depend on the industry itself, and I strongly support the industry-led campaign to promote vaccination. The message to animal keepers is clear: ‘Don’t hesitate, vaccinate’”.

Under EU law, vaccination is only allowed in a Protection Zone - a designated area with restrictions in place to prevent an outbreak spreading. The Bluetongue vaccination plan sets out how vaccination will be rolled out and the Protection Zone expanded county by county across England, taking into account the availability of vaccine and the level of disease risk."

JAB, the Joint Action against Bluetongue group, has also welcomed news the first batch of BTv8 vaccine has now been released for use on farm.

In a joint statement JAB said: "We are delighted Intervet has been able to provide vaccine more quickly than was initially thought and we are very grateful for their efforts which have resulted in this early delivery date. This should put livestock keepers in a very good position to protect their livestock before midge activity increases as the weather gets warmer.

In order for vaccination to take place the PZ will be extended and livestock keepers in the second priority area can expect to become part of an extended PZ in the next few weeks.

Further Reading

       - You can visit our Bluetongue information page by clicking here.

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