Second virus all-clear for Leics
17 September 2001
Second virus all-clear for Leics
By FWi staff
A SECOND suspected case of foot-and-mouth disease in Leicestershire has proved negative, officials have confirmed.
The all-clear around the farm in the Hinckley area was granted on Monday (17 September) following final test results from blood samples.
All restrictions have been lifted, including an 8km ban on animal movements, a 3km surveillance zone and footpath closures around the area.
About 50 cattle were culled on a farm at Sketchley, near Hinckley – an area where there were a handful of foot-and-mouth outbreaks in the spring.
The farm is the second in the area to be given the all-clear. Tests on livestock at a holding near Loughborough have also proved negative.
But restrictions in some other areas will be maintained. Two roads in Cumbria are likely to stay closed for two weeks in a bid to stop the disease spreading.
Hundreds of people gathered at Penrith Auction market to hear experts discuss the impact of the epidemic in Britain on Sunday (16 September).
Fred Brown, Britains leading expert on the disease, was joined by Dutch experts Dr Simon Borteling and Dr Paul Sutmoller.
Prof Brown, who has studied the disease for the past 46 years, has condemned the Governments handling of the crisis as “complacent”.
The three of experts said they wanted to see the use of rapid detection procedures and farm-gate vaccinations to eradicate the virus.
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