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(2004/C 84 E/1044)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1106/04

by Sebastiano Musumeci (UEN) to the Commission

(5 April 2004)

Subject:   Vaccination against bluetongue

A vaccine produced in South Africa is currently being used to combat the bovine disease, bluetongue. At the moment the vaccine is not licensed for use in the European Union.

Cattle farmers, in Sicily in particular, are gravely concerned at the potentially huge damage to the livestock population which would result from the planned vaccination campaign to prevent bluetongue. Recent authoritative scientific studies say there is no risk of contagion for human beings or between susceptible animals and point to the low mortality rate because of spontaneous recovery with auto-immunisation and, consequently, the possibility in the near future of using inactivated vaccines with a very low risk of vaccination incidents.

Does the Commission not consider that there is a risk in experimenting with this type of prophylactic whose potential benefits and contra-indications are not yet known and which might cause serious economic damage to livestock farmers?

Could the Commission suggest an alternative to this vaccine?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(30 April 2004)

As the Commission has already pointed out on several occasions, the decision to vaccinate against bluetongue in Italy was not made without taking the necessary precautions.

The Scientific Committee was consulted, safety checks were carried out on the vaccines used, and the option of vaccinating with the only vaccines available on the market, which are produced by South Africa, was taken only after in-depth discussions in close collaboration with the national authorities concerned.

The vaccines were specially produced by the Onderstepoort laboratory in South Africa, taking account of the Italian situation, and they contained only the serotypes present in the regions affected.

With regard to the results of this strategy, it would be unfair not to acknowledge the undisputed success achieved in some of the regions affected and not to bear in mind the hundreds of thousands of animals which were lost, particularly in Sardinia, before the introduction of vaccination led to a drastic reduction in the number of outbreaks and in the losses resulting from the disease on the farms.

As a result of this improvement in the situation, the rules have been gradually adapted and restrictions on the movement of live animals have been eased.

However, the Commission is aware that the situation has become increasingly complex because of the increase in the number of serotypes in circulation and the difficulty in adapting the vaccination strategy to these constant changes in the epidemiological situation.

At this stage the Italian authorities have not informed the Commission of any significant negative effects which could be directly attributed to vaccination, and the considerable damage reported here does not correspond to the information which the Commission has available.

The Commission therefore intends to draw up a list with the Italian authorities of measures which have been taken thus far and to consider, in the light of the conclusions drawn, what changes may prove necessary to the strategy to tackle bluetongue.

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