By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

The UK Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) reports a single confirmed case of classical Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) on a Somerset farm Friday.

Image/werner22brigitte

The animal is deceased and has been removed from the farm. There is no risk to food safety.

In line with the government’s disease prevention response plan, precautionary movement restrictions have been put in place to stop the movement of livestock in the area while further investigations continue to identify the origin of the disease.

A Food Standards Agency spokesperson said:

There are strict controls in place to protect consumers from the risk of BSE, including controls on animal feed, and removal of the parts of cattle most likely to carry BSE infectivity.

Consumers can be reassured that these important protection measures remain in place and that Food Standards Agency Official Veterinarians and Meat Hygiene Inspectors working in all abattoirs in England will continue to ensure that the safety of consumers remains the top priority.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency will now begin a thorough investigation of the herd, the premises, potential sources of infection and will produce a full report on the incident in due course.

There have been five cases of confirmed BSE in the UK since 2014, all of these have been in animals which, as fallen stock, were not destined for the human food chain and posed no risk to the general public.

Vibrio in Sweden: Cases start to decrease after a heavy July

Finland reports 66% of people over 12 years are fully vaccinated

Spain: Lymphogranuloma venereum cases up in the northern province of Navarra

Italy: AIFA warns against use Parvulan for the treatment of COVID-19