Matt Hartley

An integrated process and management tools for ranking multiple emerging threats to animal health

The UKs Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs supports the use of systematic tools for the prioritisation of known and well defined animal diseases to facilitate long and medium term planning of surveillance and disease control activities. The recognition that emerging events were not covered by the existing disease-specific approaches led to the establishment of the Veterinary Risk Group (VRG), constituted of government officials, and supporting structures such as the Risk Management Cycle and the Emerging Threat Highlight Report (ETHiR), to facilitate the identification, reporting and assessment of emerging threats to UKs animal health. Since its inception in November 2009 to the end of February 2011, the VRG reviewed 111 threats and vulnerabilities (T&V) reported through ETHiR. In July 2010 a decision support system (DSS) based on multi-criteria-decision-analysis (MCDA) improved ETHiR to allow the systematic prioritisation of emerging T&V. The DSS allows the regular ranking of emerging T&V by calculating a set of measurement indices related to the actual impact, possible impact on public perception and level of available capabilities associated with every T&V. The systematic characterisation of the processes leading to the assessment of T&V by the VRG has led to a consistent, auditable and transparent approach to the identification and assessment of emerging risks. The regular use of MCDA to manage a portfolio of emerging risks represents a different and novel application of MCDA in a health related context.

Repeated detection of European bat lyssavirus type 2 in dead bats found at a single roost site in the UK

In August 2007, European bat lyssavirus type 2 (EBLV-2) was isolated from a Daubenton’s bat found at Stokesay Castle. In September 2008, another bat from the same vicinity of Stokesay Castle also tested positive for EBLV-2. This is the first occurrence of repeated detection of EBLV-2 from a single site. Here, we report the detection of low levels of viral RNA in various bat organs by qRT-PCR and detection of viral antigen by immunohistochemistry. We also report sequence data from both cases and compare data with those derived from other EBLV-2 isolations in the UK.

Qualitative risk assessment of the role of the feral wild boar (Sus scrofa) in the likelihood of incursion and the impacts on effective disease control of selected exotic diseases in England

A qualitative risk assessment was undertaken to analyse the likelihood of the incursion of selected exotic infectious disease into England’s small populations of feral boar and the potential impacts these animals could have on effective disease control. In order to identify the exposure pathways, it was necessary to consider not only the epidemiology of the pathogens but also to understand how the ecology and behaviour of wild boar would affect disease transmission. It was concluded that the greatest risks of exotic disease incursion into the UK were associated with disease entering through the consumption of infected pork meat or meat products by either wild boar or domestic swine and thus the diseases of highest risk are classic swine fever, foot and mouth disease and Trichinella sp. It should be noted that much of the peer review publications used as the scientific evidence base for this assessment describes disease outbreaks in boar populations in countries which have the disease endemically or have been previously exposed to the disease. In the UK, disease may act differently as the UK population of boar will be naïve to the exotic notifiable diseases.

Assessing the risk of disease introduction in imports

Helen Roberts and other members of Defras International Disease Monitoring, Veterinary Science Team describe how Defra calculates the risk of an exotic disease being introduced into the UK and introduce a tool that helps in assessing that risk THERE is a continual low risk of the introduction of an exotic disease into the UK and the EU from an affected region, such as Africa, the Middle East and Central/East Asia, but occasionally that risk level can be raised when a particularly high-risk route becomes more prominent. For example, if migratory wild birds with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) were reported in northern Europe, the risk of an incursion of HPAI into the UK poultry industry may be increased, depending on the species of bird and the migration season. Likewise, an outbreak of disease in domestic livestock in a country from which the UK imports that species will trigger an increase in risk. Defra currently considers that there would be a negligible risk of an exotic disease being introduced from an affected country through legal imports because of the system of approval and certification laid down in EU law for countries approved for export to the EU. Before a non-EU country is approved to export, it must have an acceptable disease status, the recognised standard for relevant control authorities, and guarantees regarding compliance with EU import rules. All live animals and products of animal origin (POAO) imported from non-EU countries must be accompanied by veterinary certification. Such imports are checked at approved facilities at Border Inspection Posts. However, there would be an increased risk of disease introduction if, for some reason, the certification process had failed, either due to fraud or if an infected consignment was certified in good faith before the disease was detected in the country of origin. …

Reassessing the risk from rabies: a continuing threat to the UK?

Abstract The threat of re-introduction of rabies virus into the United Kingdom exists on several levels. Firstly, importation of live animals into the UK continues to challenge the regulations in place to ensure that the virus does not enter the country. Secondly, the indigenous bat population is known to carry a virus genetically related to rabies virus, the European bat lyssavirus (EBLV). Molecular characterization of this virus has further characterized it as being EBLV type 2, genetically distinct from a similar virus that has caused several human deaths across Europe. Finally, a lack of awareness of the threat of rabies and related viruses to travelers visiting endemic areas also constitutes a re-introduction threat to the UK population. This review will address the most recent cases of lyssavirus infection, in both humans and animals, either contracted within the UK or from abroad. We highlight the current diagnostic necessity for testing indigenous and foreign cases and comment on current UK government policy in light of a European call to harmonise rabies legislation across Europe.

Qualitative risk analysis of introducing Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis to the UK through the importation of live amphibians

The international amphibian trade is implicated in the emergence and spread of the amphibian fungal disease chytridiomycosis, which has resulted in amphibian declines and extinctions globally. The establishment of the causal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), in the UK could negatively affect the survival of native amphibian populations. In recognition of the ongoing threat that it poses to amphibians, Bd was recently included in the World Organisation for Animal Health Aquatic Animal Health Code, and therefore is in the list of international notifiable diseases. Using standardised risk analysis guidelines, we investigated the likelihood that Bd would be introduced to and become established in wild amphibians in the UK through the importation of live amphibians. We obtained data on the volume and origin of the amphibian trade entering the UK and detected Bd infection in amphibians being imported for the pet and private collection trade and also in amphibians already held in captive pet, laboratory and zoological collections. We found that current systems for recording amphibian trade into the UK underestimate the volume of non-European Union trade by almost 10-fold. We identified high likelihoods of entry, establishment and spread of Bd in the UK and the resulting major overall impact. Despite uncertainties, we determined that the overall risk estimation for the introduction of Bd to the UK through the importation of live amphibians is high and that risk management measures are required, whilst ensuring that negative effects on legal trade are minimised.

International disease monitoring, April to June 2011.

African swine fever continues to spread in western Russia Brucellosis outbreaks in Europe Foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks across the Middle East and north Africa continue to present a threat to Europe Highly pathogenic avian influenza H3N7 in Mexico in an area of high poultry density Continued outbreaks of HPAI H5N1 in endemic areas Information on Schmallenberg virus in ruminants in northern Europe These are among matters discussed in the international disease monitoring report for April to June 2012, prepared by Defras Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency

International disease monitoring, July to September

African swine fever in the Caucasus region Equine infectious anaemia in several EU member states, including the UK Foot-and-mouth disease in Turkey suggests a problem with vaccination Outbreaks of West Nile virus in the Mediterranean Basin prompt calls for better collaboration between public health and veterinary authorities in EU member states These are among matters discussed in the international disease monitoring report for July to September, prepared by Defras Food and Farming Group, Global Animal Health

Development of the England Wildlife Health Strategy – a framework for decision makers

Diseases in wildlife have been recognised as having the potential to affect human health, livestock health and species conservation. In order to assess and respond to these potential risks in an effective and a proportionate way, the UK Government initiated development of the Wildlife Health Strategy to provide a framework for decision making. The England Wildlife Health Strategy (EWHS) has been developed through extensive consultation. Discussions and negotiations with government departments, agencies, non-governmental public bodies and wildlife organisations were held to obtain advice and input on specific and specialised aspects of wildlife health. A series of workshops to investigate the application of innovative science to wildlife health policy contributed further. A formal public consultation was held that proposed a range of actions to implement the strategy. A summary of responses to this consultation was published in October 2007. The EWHS was published in June 2009 and provides a framework for a generic four-stage approach to wildlife health that can be adopted by decision makers both within and outside government.

Qualitative veterinary risk assessment of the role of wild deer in the likelihood of incursion and the impact on effective disease control of selected exotic notifiable diseases in England

A qualitative risk assessment was undertaken to analyse the likelihood of the incursion of selected exotic infectious disease into deer populations in GB and the potential impacts these animals could have on effective disease control. In order to identify the exposure pathways, it was necessary to consider not only the epidemiology of the pathogens but also to understand the impact of the ecology and behaviour of wild deer on disease transmission. It was concluded that the greatest risk of exotic disease incursion into wild deer in GB was disease incursions occurring in domestic ruminants first then transmitting to wild deer. The qualitative risk assessment considered geographic spread and habitats of wild deer and the susceptibility of wild deer to notifiable exotic diseases of domestic ruminants. Data of some diseases in some deer species is limited and the overall assessment of impact varied between diseases and deer species. Red deer pose the highest risk of the species reviewed. The overall risk assessment of low is primarily influenced by the low risk of incursion of exotic diseases generally into the UK.