News

In a scientific editorial* in Veterinary Record to be published on 1st July 2011, top researchers have said that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) should focus on peste des petits ruminants (PPR) virus as the next livestock virus for…

On 6th June 2011 Professor John Fazakerley took up his post as Director of IAH. He succeeds Prof. David Paton who has been Acting Director since the retirement of Prof. Martin Shirley CBE last year. Prof. Fazakerley is Group Leader and Professor of Virology at the Roslin Institute, also an Institute…

The Institute for Animal Health has since 2007 invested £30M in facility improvements and new infrastructure developments with a further £100M+ investment underway due to complete in 2014. The nature of the world leading research carried out at IAH means that it is necessary for work to be conducted…

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has officially declared that rinderpest (cattle plague) has been eradicated. All 198 countries that have animals susceptible to this devastating disease have been recognised as rinderpest-free. This announcement was made at the 79th General Session of…

IAH and collaborators in the University of Edinburgh have uncovered a window of opportunity when it is possible to identify cattle infected with foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) before they become infectious and/or show signs of having the disease. They have published their findings in the…

On Thursday 17th March the IAH, in collaboration with BBSRC, hosted a Networking Event "Protecting UK livestock from the threat of viral disease" at Church House, Westminster. The purpose of the event was to share knowledge and facilitate partnerships for action across the animal health research…

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Institute for Animal Health have announced the appointment of the new Director for the Institute. Prof John Fazakerley, a leading researcher in virology, will join IAH as its new Director from 1 June 2011 from his current…

Further progress on the redevelopment of the Institute’s Pirbright Laboratory took place in November when the Institute received operating licences for two large-animal facilities from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Research in them is now underway. These…

IAH scientists contributed to a special meeting at the headquarters of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome (13-15th October), culminating in an announcement by the FAO's Director General that they had ended field operations on rinderpest. "As of mid 2010, FAO is confident that the…

The Institute for Animal Health has announced that due to ill health, Professor Martin Shirley who had announced his retirement from 30 June 2011, will now retire on 31 October 2010. Professor David Paton will take over as Acting Director, with effect from 1 November 2010.

The Pirbright Institute, in partnership with the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA), has been awarded £90,000 by Defra to analyse the threat posed to UK livestock and horses from insect- and tick-borne viruses, and the UK's capability to respond to these threats. These viruses are highly…

Professor Martin Shirley CBE, Director of the Institute for Animal Health, has been made an Honorary Associate of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. The award was made by outgoing RCVS President Professor Sandy Trees during the Society' annual general meeting this month in London. The…