Schmallenberg Virus affects European Livestock

A newly identified disease is moving rapidly through livestock in Europe and has authorities both worried and puzzled. The disease, dubbed Schmallenberg virus for a town in west-central Germany where one of the first outbreaks occurred, makes adult animals only mildly ill, but causes lambs, kids and calves to be born dead or deformed.

The United Kingdom’s Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AVHLA) said today that the virus has been found on 29 farms in England; in the past few weeks they found it in sheep, but today announced that they have identified it in cattle as well. In mainland Europe, it has been identified on several hundred farms in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, and most recently in France. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control has said that the new virus’s closest relatives do not cause disease in humans — but that other more distantly related viruses do:

www.wired.com...

More at that link, but here are some important highlights so you linkphobes don't have to wait.

The international disease-warning mailing list ProMED has collected links to all the maps of outbreaks published so far:
France web.oie.int...
Netherlands www.vwa.nl...
Belgium www.afsca.be...
Germany. www.fli.bund.de...

Also

Agricultural media are starting to record the economic fallout, including a Russian ban on European livestock and the possibility of a ban on shipping live animals, including to livestock shows and sales.

And the CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases has just posted ahead of print the first paper on the new disease.

Meanwhile, the British Veterinary Record seizes on the outbreaks to make a larger point: Finding new diseases such as Schmallenberg depends on having good disease surveillance — but in the UK, funding is about to be sharply cut.

While I think my meat in Canada is safe, I wonder if it wills stay that way.

reply to post by Sachyriel


Dear Sachyriel,

Here is a question, how could it spread to so many farms in so many countries so quickly? It is spread between animals, if people had bought animals from a farm that was infected, that would show up quickly as the reason; but, it did not. What would be used in common at different farms in different countries at the same time, I am guessing some feed product or some vaccine or medicine. Considering how mad cow disease was spread (food chain) and how many farmers will feed their livestock anything cheap to make them fat, I am guessing in the end it will be related to a common food source. Peace.

reply to post by Sachyriel


The fact that babies are being born deformed or dead almost makes this sound like a chemical effect.

With the amount of dangerous chemicals and radiation livestock is to exposed to it is a very likely candidate.

reply to post by AQuestion

According to wikipedia:

It appears to be transmitted by midges (Culicoides spp.) which are likely to have been most active in causing the infection in the northern hemisphere summer and autumn of 2011, with animals subsequently giving birth from late 2011.

Source
Weird there is a new virus all of a sudden though. I'm taking wiki with a large grain of salt.

reply to post by AQuestion


Actually I believe it might be insect transmission.

The viral vector — the thing which spreads it — is believed to be midges, small flying biting insects (Culicoides) and maybe also mosquitoes (Culicidae).

Not form the Guardian article, but the first link I posted.

reply to post by LightSpeedDriver


Dear LightSpeedDriver,

I appreciate the link and am considering it; but, I still have a problem with the insect crossing the English channel. I guess the best we can do and wait and see if anyone finds proof. Peace.

Originally posted by TheCommentator
reply to post by Sachyriel

 

The fact that babies are being born deformed or dead almost makes this sound like a chemical effect.

With the amount of dangerous chemicals and radiation livestock is to exposed to it is a very likely candidate.

Virsuses are made of chemicals, so viruses are merely complex chemicals with a bit of flair. However I'm not the scientist studying it, so I keep an open mind on it, however it does seem likely to be insects because it would be the simplest explanation.

reply to post by Sachyriel


Dear Sachyriel,

I have read the link and I still have a problem with insect transmission as that should follow a distinct wind patter. If it did then I would think that the pattern of spread would match the wind patterns. It is a very strong winter in Europe right now therefore it had to have spread earlier in the year; but, if it did then it would have taken time to spread thousands of miles and I wouldn't expect the animals to all get sick at the same time. It may turn out to be insects; but, it doesn't seem intuitive to me. Peace.

reply to post by Sachyriel

Virsuses are made of chemicals, so viruses are merely complex chemicals with a bit of flair. However I'm not the scientist studying it, so I keep an open mind on it, however it does seem likely to be insects because it would be the simplest explanation.

Nucleic acid and proteins. Its possible that chemicals caused mutations in the virus also.
Yeah but chemical/radiation effects are very possible also.

Center for Disease Prevention and Control has said that the new virus’s closest relatives do not cause disease in humans

Can't resist to say " yet "...

Pfffff, and next year they will tell us that the strain " mutated " ( aka bio-engineering ) and infect humans...

and next, ohh surprise, the virus will show signs of antibiotics resistance...

.

reply to post by AQuestion

Here's an example:

Dragonflies are among the longest distance insect migrants. Many species of Libellula, Sympetrum and Pantala are known for their mass migration.[2] Pantala flavescens is thought to make the longest ocean crossings among insects, flying between India and Africa on their migrations. Their movements are often assisted by winds.

Source

reply to post by LightSpeedDriver


Dear LightSpeedDriver,

I absolutely agree that insects can transmit disease over great distances, I question all the animals getting sick at the same time in different countries. It is like these mass fish die offs where only one type of fish dies and they all die at the same time. Peace.

Animal populations across the globe are taking a hammering right now! Fukushima radiation that's been spewing up into the jetstream has been falling down around us for the past year! That would help to explain what is common to all these animals having issues more or lass at the same time. check out this site... enenews.com...

I really don't think it is 'out there' to believe that radiation might be a factor. For heavens sake just look at the timing and the symptoms! Fact is governments and businesses can't afford to take the hit that the post Chernobyl bans created. Plus they don't want to cause a mass panic. Have just been on a farming forum and anyone wanting to discuss radiation was booted off the Schmallenberg thread. Another was set up just to discuss radiation as a possible cause.
www.fwi.co.uk...
In the meantime government agencies say so far as they are aware there is no risk to human health. Scuse me? Anyone remember what happened with mad cow disease? By the time the facts are in, it's too late for the consumers.
For those in the UK I would recommend sticking with meat from other countries like New Zealand. Heaven help us all.

Has there been any new news regarding this? I was really surprised by how quickly this thread died.

2nd line?