Dr. Ruth Watkins writes on 20th April 2008 -
'The best response to this threat is to develop an inactivated vaccine to AHS. The horse industry could fund one with Merial or Intervet. If that was successful for one serotype then vaccines could be made to either all 9 serotypes or the 7 that S.A. use in their immunisation of horses. 

The seed virus for the inactivated vaccine serotypes can be stored or the different vaccine serotypes as with FMD in a concentrated antigen form, ready, either quickly grown up for manufacture, or the appropriate serotype got out of the freezer ready for use within days, as is possible for FMD.

Horse racing is a multimillion pound business and the Sheikhs have an interest in it too. I am sure if it was clearly understood what a brilliant strategy we have developed for FMD vaccination but so stupidly never chosen to use the horse industry could set off down the same path as developing and storing vaccines for FMD but for AHS.

If we have been lucky with the limited incursions of AHS into Europe so far perhaps we cannot be complacent about remaining lucky, as shown with BTV-8 which has behaved so differently to the previous BTV serotype incursions into Southern Europe and the Balkans.

Yours sincerely, Ruth Watkins'

More information about this disease will be published on this page as it becomes available - (JB Ed)