Rapid test and comments fom Alex Danaldson

Originally from: Farmtalking
                        
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[1]
Date: Sun 1 Oct 2006, 1:27 AM
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Originally from: Alex Donaldson <...>

Rapid test and comments

As the person who was head of the Pirbright Laboratory during the UK 2001 FMD epidemic I am very familiar with the claims made by Roger Breese and Fred Brown for the rapid diagnostic methodfor FMD. However, as they were unwilling to provide scientific data to support their claims no real spirit of trust and collaboration was developed between us. ... Subsequently, much time had to be spent by me and colleagues at Pirbright explaining to policy makers and Defra that we were unable to verify the claims that were being made for the rapid test.

By contrast, over 200 scientists, both veterinary and non-veterinary, from other institutions in the UK, other European and antipodean countries came to Pirbright and supported us at different stages during the epidemic.

Those friends and colleagues freely and unselfishly assisted us in the true spirit of collaboration. They did sterling work and for their support I will always have heartfelt gratitude. I am glad to record that during the epidemic there was excellent collaboration in the area of molecular virology between Peter Mason and his group at Plum Island and colleagues at Pirbright.

Originally from: Farmtalking
                        
It is interesting to note that Alex Donaldson says that as no scientific data was provided by Fred Brown and Roger Breeze to confirm their claims for the rapid diagnostic test they recommended, it's use was refused.

It may seem a reasonable decision but if that indeed was the case, I cannot help but query why the opportunity to test the equipment offered and validate it's efficiency and/or ability to detect FMD wasn't tried immediatly in the UK?

With a supposedly escalating FMD epidemic, surely that was the least they could have done.

I wonder how Alex Donaldson, and all the scientist who were so helpful to him, feel when they equate the number of farms that were tested with the number of farms culled which were not.

They cannot fail to be aware that 10's of thousands of healthy animals were needlessly destroyed by our Government. Not their fault no doubt but what did they do to try to persuade Government not to cull without a test?

I continue to find it very hard to understand why so many veterinary surgeons, scientists and others, still prefer to go along with our Government's policy to preserve our FMD free status in preference to persuading them that a vaccine exists that would have, and still could, halt the disease and therefore must be used in prefernce to a culling policy.

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[1]
Date: Sun 1 Oct 2006, 1:27 AM
From: Alex Donaldson <...>
Rapid test and comments
As the person who was head of the Pirbright Laboratory during the UK 2001 FMD epidemic I am very familiar with the claims made by Roger Breese and Fred Brown for the rapid diagnostic methodfor FMD. However, as they were unwilling to provide scientific data to support their claims no real spirit of trust and collaboration was developed between us. ... Subsequently, much time had to be spent by me and colleagues at Pirbright explaining to policy makers and Defra that we were unable to verify the claims that were being made for the rapid test.
By contrast, over 200 scientists, both veterinary and non-veterinary, from other institutions in the UK, other European and antipodean countries came to Pirbright and supported us at different stages during the epidemic.
Those friends and colleagues freely and unselfishly assisted us in the true spirit of collaboration. They did sterling work and for their support I will always have heartfelt gratitude. I am glad to record that during the epidemic there was excellent collaboration in the area of molecular virology between Peter Mason and his group at Plum Island and colleagues at Pirbright.
--
Alex Donaldson
<...>