He also said the government should review the handling of the disease for future reference - in particular whether the policy of mass slaughter was effective. I am absolutely certain that as a result of this massive epidemic there will have to be lessons learned - and that the greatest lesson is whether the culling policy was the right one. He said vaccination remained an option for cattle coming out of winter sheds in Cumbria and Devon. Prof King also told the committee that toxins emitted from burning carcasses posed a significant hazard to public health. Three people are thought to have contracted the human form of the disease.
Results are due within a week.
The only confirmed case in British history was during the 1960s epidemic. As the pyres of slaughtered animals continue to burn, the government has issued guidance about the health risks. It said exposure to smoke from the pyres can exacerbate the symptoms of asthma and that people less than half a kilometre from even small pyres may be exposed to high concentrations of irritants such as sulphur dioxide. People living close to the pyres are advised to avoid sustained exposure, it added. But they are not said to be at risk from increased dioxin levels deposited from the burning carcasses of slaughtered cattle.