Reply to Burkie last night and six months late (not forgotten).

Originally from: chris stockdale
                        
Dear Burkie, good to hear from you after this time,

Your letter of last night raises three main issues.

1) Vaccine production.
We do produce vaccine here, it has just never been used here, other than in experimental labs, etc..

We know that Argentina can produce 20 million doses a month (BBC Countryfile [TV] 2001). Scientists here might argue that it's easier to manufacture bulk supplies in a country or area where the disease is endemic because it makes little or no difference if bio-security fails and the virus slips out. I see the point, but do not feel reassured; I would feel much happier if our Government expressed confidence in our ability to match the Argentinian capability and scale up production rapidly.

2)I can't say in all honesty that I have really followed the situation in Argentina, although obviously I have heard the allegations about attempting to cover it up, initial denial, etc. The five rounds of vaccination needed are precisely the sort of argument against vaccination that was used in 2001 – it never ends, there's no exit strategy, etc, and I believe also emphasise the point of the RCVS that if you are going to vaccinate you should begin as soon as possible, preferably by Day 8.

3) I will have to look up the Hilton Quota, I don't know what it is. I do know that I feel sorry for the South Americans with regard to FMD -- imported from Europe (some say Britain) in the 19th Century, which absolutely nobbles their primary product in the marketplace. If I were a reforming politician looking to help disadvantaged nations develop their economies and help my own (relative) poor by providing cheap food, then I would want to encourage South American imports into Europe, provided home production isn't jeopardised by the process, which in the case of Argentina is covered by all sorts of protocols (Bledisloe Arrangements etc. ) as I expect you will know.

Did someone conspire to shove people like me out of the way? I don't think so, at least not within the UK – too expensive, too risky electorally if it came to light.

 Part 2.

Six months ago or more I was meant to get back to you re this -- I had just come across an article co-written by NJ Knowles the day your query arrived , one of Pirbrights' top men, I would say from looking at his output, length of service, missions given, etc. I couldn't pin down Mason – I think you have one in Plum Island but that may be a different man; from memory, you have a Professor Mason who is big in GM advances in Veterinary Medicines, but I can't find the details right now, have them somewhere. I lost the details with his initials – was it a P Mason.?

Were they cooking something up? Very hard to say. Knowles gets sent out on these bio- determination tasks, has been doing it for a long time, so he may have been advising on the tricky nature of Pan Asia O , atypical, asymptomatic and sub-clinical infection -- you wouldn't want it – as discovered by the Taiwanese, Japanese, and Dutch etc.-- (see " Unapparrent foot and mouth disease infection [sub-clinical infections and carriers]: implications for control" by Paul Sutmoller and R.Casas Olascoaga, in OIE Scientific and Technical Revue, Volume 21(3), December 2002, editor G.R. Thomson, pages 519–529, page 521 in particular), they may have been discussing vaccines against it, goodness only knows.

I hope all is well with you, Gary,
 all the best,
 Chris.
                        

Originally from: Burkie
                        
Dear Chris: At a friend's home this Sunday morning catching up on some e-mail and other news....have been really working lots of hours lately...and sorry for the delay in replying.

I think you are correct in your assessment regarding Peter Mason and Nick Knowles. They both made a dual report in the fall of 2000 here in the States regarding the Panasian Type O progression of infection. I think I sent out a report on that in 2001 and posted it on the FMDNew Smartgroups website at that time.

What has really bothered me all through the past two years, is that these men have remained on the sidelines throughout these whole fiascoes. So they made a report about it all in October 2000.....why? Only one conclusion can be made....they knew...and they made an "early warning." I think they knew a whole lot more than they are telling.

And that still bothers the heck out of me.

All the Best,

Burkie in Kansas

P.S. Wheat harvest will be in high gear all next week here in Kansas. Right now, it looks to be a bin-buster wheat harvest.

But the corn and beans farmers in Illinois, Iowa, Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, Pennsylvania are just about wiped out for planting corn and beans and making hay....too much rain and too wet to plant. Things looking terrific here in Kansas...have had nicest June I can ever remember.