Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on October 28, 2017 - Published by group.bmj.com
News & Reports bovine TB
BCG vaccine shortage: human health agenda must take priority, says BVA THE BVA has expressed disappointment at the announcement by the Welsh Government that the project to vaccinate badgers against bovine TB in Wales is to be suspended due to a global shortage of BCG. However, the Association is clear that the human health agenda should take priority. The Welsh Government announced on December 1 that it would suspend the badger vaccination trial until the global supply of BCG vaccine for people was adequate (VR, December 5, 2015, vol 177, p 555). Rebecca Evans, the deputy minister for farming and food in Wales, said that four years of the five-year project had been completed, as well as two years of private vaccination grants, and that suspension of the project would not mean that ‘the hard work of the previous years will have been
582 | Veterinary Record | December 12, 2015
wasted’. She reported that more than 5500 doses of vaccine had been successfully administered in that time. Neil Paton, president of the BVA Welsh Branch, described the suspension of vaccination as ‘disappointing news’ and ‘a significant blow to the bovine TB eradication programme in Wales’. However, he continued: ‘It is clear that the One Health and human health agenda should take priority in this case. We urge the Welsh Government to reconsider its eradication programme as a matter of urgency, particularly in relation to wildlife control. We welcome the move to commission modelling work to evaluate the impact of suspension and we are keen to work with the government to identify an evidence-based solution to this problem so
that any potential progress made in Wales is not lost.’ Sean Wensley, the BVA President, added that the suspension further emphasised the need for the agriculture sector to have ‘as many tools in the toolbox as possible’ to fight bovine TB. ‘It is right that public health takes priority but it is regrettable that the supply chain is so vulnerable and we would want to see more security in the future. ‘We also expect the global shortage will affect the bovine TB eradication programmes in England and Northern Ireland, both of which include an element of badger vaccination. We will continue to engage with all UK governments to push for comprehensive and evidence-based eradication strategies.’ doi: 10.1136/vr.h6682
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on October 28, 2017 - Published by group.bmj.com
BCG vaccine shortage: human health agenda must take priority, says BVA Veterinary Record 2015 177: 582
doi: 10.1136/vr.h6682 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/177/23/582.1
These include:
Email alerting service
Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up in the box at the top right corner of the online article.
Notes
To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
News & Reports bovine TB
BCG vaccine shortage: human health agenda must take priority, says BVA THE BVA has expressed disappointment at the announcement by the Welsh Government that the project to vaccinate badgers against bovine TB in Wales is to be suspended due to a global shortage of BCG. However, the Association is clear that the human health agenda should take priority. The Welsh Government announced on December 1 that it would suspend the badger vaccination trial until the global supply of BCG vaccine for people was adequate (VR, December 5, 2015, vol 177, p 555). Rebecca Evans, the deputy minister for farming and food in Wales, said that four years of the five-year project had been completed, as well as two years of private vaccination grants, and that suspension of the project would not mean that ‘the hard work of the previous years will have been
582 | Veterinary Record | December 12, 2015
wasted’. She reported that more than 5500 doses of vaccine had been successfully administered in that time. Neil Paton, president of the BVA Welsh Branch, described the suspension of vaccination as ‘disappointing news’ and ‘a significant blow to the bovine TB eradication programme in Wales’. However, he continued: ‘It is clear that the One Health and human health agenda should take priority in this case. We urge the Welsh Government to reconsider its eradication programme as a matter of urgency, particularly in relation to wildlife control. We welcome the move to commission modelling work to evaluate the impact of suspension and we are keen to work with the government to identify an evidence-based solution to this problem so
that any potential progress made in Wales is not lost.’ Sean Wensley, the BVA President, added that the suspension further emphasised the need for the agriculture sector to have ‘as many tools in the toolbox as possible’ to fight bovine TB. ‘It is right that public health takes priority but it is regrettable that the supply chain is so vulnerable and we would want to see more security in the future. ‘We also expect the global shortage will affect the bovine TB eradication programmes in England and Northern Ireland, both of which include an element of badger vaccination. We will continue to engage with all UK governments to push for comprehensive and evidence-based eradication strategies.’ doi: 10.1136/vr.h6682
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on October 28, 2017 - Published by group.bmj.com
BCG vaccine shortage: human health agenda must take priority, says BVA Veterinary Record 2015 177: 582
doi: 10.1136/vr.h6682 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/177/23/582.1
These include:
Email alerting service
Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up in the box at the top right corner of the online article.
Notes
To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
