Cattle TB vaccination trials needed urgently
Wales’ chief veterinary officer says field trials were urgently needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of a cattle vaccine for bovine TB.
After experts from across the globe gathered in Wales to explore how cattle vaccination could be rolled out, Dr Christianne Glossop said field trials would hasten the process of licensing the BCG vaccine for bovines. “We need to start developing our field trials to see how the vaccine works,” she said.
Trials in New Zealand and Ethiopia have demonstrated an efficacy of up to 60% but, if used in conjunction with other eradication measures, it is believed the BCG vaccine would significantly contribute to reducing overall infection.
The vaccine has long been used safely and effectively in humans, but there is no licence for its use in cattle in the UK.
Dr Paul Livingstone, chair of the TB Control Programme Technical Advisory Group in New Zealand, who was present at the two-day vaccination workshop in Cardiff, admitted the process would take time. He estimates that gathering robust data to back up efficacy and safety claims would take between three and five years.
“We have to demonstrate that BCG is safe for use in cattle and those safety studies take a number of years,” he said.
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