5th animal tests positive for bluetongue disease in England

A fifth cow has tested positive for the bluetongue virus in England, the government said Thursday.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, or Defra, said the animal, on a farm in Suffolk county, eastern England, would be slaughtered. Four other cases of bluetongue have been confirmed in cows on other Suffolk farms this month.

Bluetongue is common in Mediterranean countries and has spread across northern Europe over the past year. It did not appear in England until last weekend, when the first case turned up in livestock at a farm in Suffolk.

The disease is spread by insects known as midges, and experts say strong winds across the English Channel may have spread bluetongue from the European mainland.

Agriculture officials have said there was not enough evidence to confirm "an active outbreak" of the disease. The department said it was not yet clear whether bluetongue was circulating in Britain or was the result of a single infection from overseas.

Bluetongue affects cows, sheep and other ruminant animals, and can be fatal. It does not affect humans.

England's livestock owners also are suffering an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, which began in a rural area southwest of London last month. Hundreds of animals have been slaughtered and movement of animals has been restricted at one of the busiest times of the year for livestock sales.

Seven cases of foot-and-mouth have been confirmed in the southern England county of Surrey since August.

On Wednesday, officials established a 3 kilometer (2 mile) protection zone around a site near Maidenhead, in the adjoining county of Berkshire, while animals were tested for foot-and-mouth disease.

Still, Defra said Thursday that it has decided to amend current foot-and-mouth disease restrictions to allow movements to livestock markets in low risk areas on Oct. 4, as long as there are no changes in the situation.

Defra said the relaxation of the current restrictions would be subject to "stringent" biosecurity measures and that the current control measures in the foot-and-mouth risk area would remain in place.