Authors OnLine -

Richard Collins, a biochemist specialising in diagnostic tests for dangerous viruses and the author of 'Under A Blood Red Sky' wrote the following to us in response to the recent outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease in Surrey:-

The recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Surrey is very disturbing news.

The cause of the outbreak has yet to be confirmed, but it is very suspicious that the outbreak has occurred on a farm just a few kilometres from the UK's national FMD research facility (Institute for Animal Health) at Pirbright where live FMD virus is handled in order to produce vaccines against the disease.

Vaccine production facilities are well known to be at high risk of causing FMD outbreaks in surrounding areas.

The ease with which FMD can spread in different agriculturally important animals (cattle, pigs and sheep) and the economic damage it can cause as a result makes FMD virus the ideal weapon for bioterrorists.

The deliberate release of FMD was outlined in my 2005 Authors Online novel "Under a Blood Red Sky". In my book, a British scientist desperately tries to avert an outbreak of FMD in the USA. The scientist is based at the fictional "Animal Health Institute" which was closely modelled on the Institute for Animal Health at Pirbright, to which my colleagues at the time had visited as part of our work to develop more sensitive diagnostic tests for the disease.

Shortly after my novel came out, a hoax FMD terrorist incident using a scenario straight out of my novel occurred in New Zealand. Edwina Currie, the former minister for health reviewed the novel and called for it to be banned because of its graphic descriptions of the use and effects of FMD.

It is sobering to think that the UK may suffer a repeat outbreak of a devastating disease and that some of the lessons recorded in my book (particularly the better storage of dangerous viruses) have not been applied. [The author does not have detailed knowledge of the current storage arrangements at Pirbright. The coments within this article are therefore generic to the overall situation within the UK, and are not intended as a specific criticism of storage at that facility - ED]

Dr. Richard A. Collins
BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD, CChem FRSC, CBiol FIBiol, FIBMS