Badger vaccine shows promise for tackling cattle TB
BAKU, December 1 (AZERTAC). Vaccinating badgers could prove a good way to tackle the spread of TB in cattle, according to research.
In a four-year project, UK scientists found vaccination reduced the incidence of TB infection in wild badgers by 74%.
This does not prove vaccinating badgers would reduce the number of cattle catching the disease, they caution.
But they say it could "overcome some of the challenges" surrounding badger culling, which the UK government wants to bring in next year.
"Badger culling as an approach to disease control can be costly, practically difficult and indiscriminate, and remains controversial," they write in the Royal Society`s scientific journal Proceedings B.
"Vaccinating badgers may be an alternative or complementary strategy that overcomes some of these challenges."
Because Defra is committed to culling, they`re focusing on that and I think they see the vaccination work as a distraction”
End Quote Chris Cheeseman Former government advisor
However, there is general recognition that vaccination will become a much more feasible option once a version is available that badgers can eat - which will not be for four to five years at the earliest.
The current research used an injectable vaccine that was licensed for use earlier in the year, based on the BCG inoculation given to humans.
Other news in this section
