Vets Warn of the Dangers of Rabies Entering Britain

Vets Warn of the Dangers of Rabies Entering Britain




April 7, 2009 by BVA



The
BVA remains concerned about the future of the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS).
Emphasizing that the issue is not simply one of keeping rabies out of
the country, speakers at the ‘PETS or pests?’ seminar
discussed other dangerous parasites which are not currently endemic in
the UK because of the additional protection PETS provides. Speakers
made a strong case for maintaining this derogation under EU law which
currently allows the UK along with Ireland, Sweden, Finland and Malta
to apply stricter requirements than other EU member states.
One such parasite is the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis which
is not currently present in the UK, although it is the cause of
significant disease in many countries in the world, including areas of
Europe. The audience, including medical research scientists and
delegates from European and British veterinary associations, heard
about the risks, particularly of tapeworm found in dogs and foxes,
which can cause very serious disease in man.
Commenting on the symposium Nicky Paull, President of the BVA said
“This is an important area where those involved in public health
and animal welfare must work together. Vets and medics must continue to
do the necessary research to be sure we can have in place a system of
vaccination which we can trust, and to make the European Commission
aware that there are good reasons for maintaining our current import
restrictions to protect both our pets and our people.”
MORE ON RABIEShttp://www.dogmagazine.net/archives/2251/vets-warn-of-the-dangers-of-rabies-entering-britain/

We are lucky here to have few really bad things.