Incidence of TB in UK Cattle
UK - The provisional January 2009 estimate lies below the incidence rate for January 2008.
However, care needs to be taken not to read too much into a single month's figure, especially as this figure includes a high number of unclassified incidents. As such the incidence rates are subject to further revisions as more tests and their results are input.
Provisional statistics show a 10 per cent increase in the number of new TB incidents in January 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. Combined with an increase in the number of herds tested over the same period, this equates to a provisional overall increase in the TB incidence rate (new TB incidents, as a proportion of tests on unrestricted herds) of 5 per cent.
The provisional average confirmed incidence rate (confirmed new TB incidents, as a proportion of tests on unrestricted herds) was 4.5 per cent for January 2009, compared to 4.6 per cent for the same period in 2008.
Chart 1 below shows the TB incidence rate since 2003.
Chart 2 below shows the long-term trend for the TB incidence rate.
TheCattleSite News Desk