Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
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Schmallenberg virus: further update on GB testing results
Schmallenberg virus (SBV) has now been identified in samples submitted from 58 farms across the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hertfordshire, Surrey, Hampshire, Cornwall and Wiltshire. Due to the increase in reports of SBV identified in France, the areas at comparatively higher risk in the UK have been revised in line with the plume modeling data from the summer which models areas at risk of midge incursion from northern Europe. These areas include Dorset, Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire and therefore an increase in risk for South Wales. The timing of the most dense plumes would have been in late October for this south west region. This is therefore in line with the appearance of deformities in lambs being born now, assuming the highest risk period for lambs is if the mother is infected at approximately one month into gestation.
The majority of the GB cases of SBV infection have been diagnosed in sheep to date.
Figures correct as of 21 February 2012
| County | Premises with confirmed infection (based on clinical signs and virus identification) |
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| Sheep | Cattle | Goats | Total | |
| Norfolk | 14 | 1 | 0 | 15 |
| Suffolk | 10 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| Essex | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Hertfordshire | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| West Sussex | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Cornwall | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| East Sussex | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Hampshire | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Surrey | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kent | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Wiltshire | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 55 | 3 | 0 | 58 |
Please see the VLA website Schmallenberg virus page for background and an information note for farmers and vets in English and Welsh.
