Council Directive 2003/85/ECShow full title

ANNEX I U.K. DEFINITION OF OUTBREAK

An outbreak shall be declared where a holding meets one or more of the following criteria:

1.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus has been isolated from an animal, any product derived from that animal, or its environment.

2.

Clinical signs consistent with foot-and-mouth disease are observed in an animal of a susceptible species, and the viral antigen or viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) specific to one or more of the serotypes of foot-and-mouth disease virus has been detected and identified in samples collected from the animal or animals of the same epidemiological group.

3.

Clinical signs consistent with foot-and-mouth disease are observed in an animal of a susceptible species and the animal or its cohorts are positive for antibody to foot-and-mouth disease virus structural or non-structural proteins, provided that previous vaccination, residual maternal antibodies or non-specific reactions can be excluded as possible causes of seropositivity.

4.

Viral antigen or viral RNA specific to one or more of the serotypes of foot-and-mouth disease virus has been detected and identified in samples collected from animals of susceptible species and the animals are positive for antibody to foot-and-mouth disease virus structural or non-structural proteins, provided that in the case of antibodies to structural proteins previous vaccination, residual maternal antibodies or non-specific reactions can be excluded as possible causes of seropositivity.

5.

An epidemiological link has been established to a confirmed foot-and-mouth disease outbreak and at least one of the following conditions applies:

(a)

one or more animals are positive for antibody to foot-and-mouth disease virus structural or non-structural proteins, provided that previous vaccination, residual maternal antibodies or non-specific reactions can be excluded as possible causes of seropositivity;

(b)

viral antigen or viral RNA specific to one or more of the serotypes of foot-and-mouth disease virus has been detected and identified in samples collected from one or more animals of susceptible species;

(c)

serological evidence of active infection with foot-and-mouth disease by detection of seroconversion from negative to positive for antibody to foot-and-mouth disease virus structural or non-structural proteins has been established in one or more animals of susceptible species, and previous vaccination, residual maternal antibodies or non-specific reactions can be excluded as possible causes of seropositivity.

Where a previously seronegative status cannot be reasonably expected, this detection of seroconversion is to be carried out in paired samples collected from the same animals on two or more occasions at least 5 days apart, in the case of structural proteins, and at least 21 days apart, in the case of non-structural proteins.

(d)

Clinical signs consistent with foot-and-mouth disease are observed in an animal of a susceptible species