Bluetongue monitoring and surveillance
in the Netherlands
Content
1. Introduction
1.1. Legal framework for Bluetongue surveillance and control
1.2. Legal ba for EU financial support to Bluetongue control, monitoring and surveillance
1.3. Basic principles and tools of BT monitoring and surveillance in the Netherlands
2. Monitoring Bluetongue in the Netherlands
2.1. Description
2.2. Measures
2.2.1. Serological and virological monitoring
2.2.2. Entomological investigation
2.2.
3. Supplementary monitoring
2.2.
3.1. Enhanced passive clinical surveillance
2.2.
3.2. Wildlife monitoring
3. Concluding
Annex I:
Financial proposal
1. Introduction
Bluetongue (BT) is a non-contagious, inct-transmitted (only Culicoides species), viral dia of domestic and wild ruminants that does not affect humans. Since August 2006 bluetongue has been detected in the Netherlands, Belgium, western Germany and north-eastern France. The recent outbreak has highlighted the risks that many countries in Europe, not only in the Mediterranean area, may face in relation to BTV. In order to improve the understanding of the epidemiological situation and of the risks for the EU pod by this dia and to establish proportionate measures leading to a minimum disruption of trade it is necessary to enhance monitoring and surveillance for BT in the EU, in accordance with harmonid principles and guidelines1.
The Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the OIE defines monitoring as the continuous investigation of a given population or subpopulation, and its environment, to detect changes in the prevalence of a dia or characteristics of a pathogenic agent. In this document, monitoring is ud to refer to the actions and measures taken to asss the dia evolution in a BT restricted zone for the purpo of adaptation of Community and National legislation and in order to modulate restrictions on animal movements.
The Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the OIE defines surveillance as the investigation of a given population or subpopulation to detect the prence of a pathogenic agent or dia; the frequency
and type of surveillance will be determined by the epidemiology of the pathogenic agent or dia, and the desired outputs. In this document, surveillance is ud to refer to the actions and measures taken to demonstrate BTV abnce in a non-restricted zone and early detect possible virus incursions into the zone for the purpo of adaptation of Community legislation.
1.1. Legal framework for Bluetongue surveillance and control
The Community legal framework on BT surveillance and control is laid down in Council Directive 2000/75/EC2 and Commission Decision 2005/393/EC3. The two legal acts are in line with the recently reviewed chapter on BT of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). Depending on the basis of epidemiological, geographical, ecological or meteorological circumstances the competent authority may adapt or take further measures. Decision 2005/393/EC as recently amended to incorporate the new restricted zones in Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands provides for, among other ancillary measures, derogations from the restrictions to animal movements (especially domestic movements or intra-Community trade within restricted zones). Similar conditions can be applied for the movement of men, ova and embryos.
In accordance to Community legislation, dia surveillance is of fundamental importance to asss the actual risk pod by animal movements and modulate trade restrictions accordingly. As a conquence of the incread threat pod by BT, there is an increasing need for a harmonid EU approach to monitoring and surveillance.
1 Working document SANCO/10581/2006 rev 4, Working document on Bluetongue monitoring and surveillance
in the EU
2 Council Directive 2000/75/EC of 20 November 2000 laying down specific provisions for the control and
eradication of bluetongue (OJ L 327, 22.12.2000, p. 74–83)
3 Commission Decision 2005/393/EC of 23 May 2005 on protection and surveillance zones in relation to
bluetongue and conditions applying to movements from or through the zones (OJ L 130, 24.5.2005, p.
22–28).Decision as last amended by Decision 2006/650/EC (OJ L 267, 27.9.2006, p. 45-47)
1.2. Legal ba for EU financial support to BT control, monitoring and surveillance
EU expenditure on BT is specifically foreen under Article 3 and Article 24 of Council Decision 90/424/EEC4 on expenditure on the veterinary field.
• Article 3 of 90/424/EEC provides for the Community's financial contribution towards the emergency measures in the event of occurrence of BT in the territory of a MS. The MSs shall obtain a Community contribution for the eradication of the dia up to 50% of certain cost (compensation for slaughter, destruction of carcass, disinfection…) incurred by the MS and up to 100% of the costs of the supply of vaccine dos and 50% of vaccination.
It also provides for a Community financial contribution where, on the outbreak, two or more MSs collaborate cloly to control the epidemic particularly in carrying out an epidemiological survey and dia surveillance measures.
• Article 24 of 90/424/EEC provides for Community financial support to eradication and monitoring programmes that aim at progressively eliminating animal dias (BT in endemic or high risk areas) that are endemic in certain areas of the Community.
• In addition, Article 19 of Council decision 90/424/EEC provides for Community financial support to technical and scientific measures. In this framework the Community can financially assist the MSs in undertaking the technical and scientific measures necessary for the development of Community veterinary legislation..
• The procedure of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health is mentioned for the financial decisions to be taken on the basis of article 3, 19 or 24 of Decision 90/424/EEC
1.3. Basic principles and tools of BT monitoring and surveillance in the Netherlands
1.3.1. Main objectives
The main objectives and principles of BT monitoring and surveillance can be summarid as follows:
1. Monitoring the dynamics of the dia in restricted (non-free) zones, as described in the
annex of Decision 2005/393/EC.
2. Surveillance to confirm the abnce of the dia or to early detect the entry of virus into
free zones. Surveillance may have also the purpo to substantiate the country declaration of BTV-freedom in the framework of the OIE Code.
3. Gathering data for the asssment of the risk of entry and/or spread of virus into free or
infected areas in order and to enhance dia prevention and implement appropriate control measures, including restrictions to animal movements accordingly. This data should include epidemiological, geographical and meteorological data, as well as information of the vector(s) in the areas.
1.3.
2. Fundamental tools
BT monitoring and surveillance must be bad on three fundamental tools:
1. Serological and virological surveillance on cattle
surveillance
2. Entomological
3. Supplementary measures such as clinical surveillance (passive and active)
1.3.3. Geographical unit
• The epidemiological unit of concern for BT is neither the single animal nor the herd but a geographical unit that has to be defined taking into account mainly environmental characteristics.
4 Council Decision 90/424/EEC of 26 June 1990 on expenditure in the veterinary field (OJ L 224, 18.8.1990, p.
19). Decision as last amended by Council Decision 2006/53 (OJ L 29, 2.2.2006, p. 37).
• For the purpo of bluetongue surveillance, the geographical unit will ideally be an area of approximately 45 x 45 km (approx. 2.000 Km2) unless specific environmental conditions justify
a different size. In the Netherlands, the compartments, as defined for the u of the ADNS
system will be ud as geographical unit for surveillance purpos, the compartments do not exceed 3.000 km2, except for compartment 1. This compartment will be divided in two subcompartments for this purpo. So, in total we will work with 21 compartments.
2. Monitoring BT in the Netherlands
2.1. Description
Monitoring consists of veterinary measures and strategies intended to provide information on BT situation in an infected, suspected or restricted zone. The purpo is to provide follow up information on the situation as regards the behaviour of the dia in a zone already subjected to restrictions in the movements of domestic animals susceptible to BT due to the risk attributed to this zone.
The objectives are:
1. to asss the circulation of the virus within the infected and restricted zones:
a. to better define the appropriate extent of the infected and restricted zones
b. to define the temporal and geographical distribution and progress of BTV
2. to gather information on the prence of:
a. vector species involved and their competence
b. quantitative estimation of vectors
c. identification of the vector-free ason or periods with the lowest risk of viral
transmission
