The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

8 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, July 24, 2001 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" Police break up field party Durham Regional 15 youths present, Police were called to a according to a report field on Regional Rd. 57 filed at 26 Division. in Caesarea at || p.m. A quantity of alcohol last Thursday after was seized, and one receiving a complaint young offender was about a large group of charged with being in youths assembling. possession of alcohol Officers arrived on the under the age of majori- scene and found about ty. Brooke on July 25, 2001 Love Mommy, Daddy & Nicholas Happy 30th Anniversary Mom & Dad LOVE from Sarah & John, Liz & John Matt & Steph Joey & Brianna Happy 21st Birthday Becky July 23, 2001 Love Mom & Dad, Cheryl, Tammy & 3D AYRES - Michael and Margaret (nee Wanless) Spencer and Courtney are happy to announce the arrival of their little sister Emily Rose, Patricia Born Thursday, July 5, 2001 at 4:00 pm. weighing 7lbs. 5oz. Welcomed by all her cousins, uncles and aunts. Proud grandparents - Edward Wanless and Stuart and~ Pat Ayres. Many thanks to the wonderful staff at Lakeridge Health - Port Perry and special thanks to nurse Linda MacDonald and Dr. Mike Gilmour. A A Eric & Lilian Timms (formerly of Port Perry) are very happy to announce the" engagement of their daughter Susan to Myles O'Riordan son of Eithne & the late Brendan O'Riordan. The wedding will take place August 25, 2001 in "Toronto <- ates tv. Kg uno Ty ; ol EC ARATE SENT TO THE UK: Dr. John Churchill, a vet- ZR ) team of Canadians sent to Britain recently to erinarian who works with the Canadian Food help farmers cope with an outbreak of foot and Inspection Agency in Port Perry, was part of a mouth disease. Local vet takes part Canadian contingent sent to UK to help battle virus outbreak By Heather McCrae Port Perry Star If Canada was ever stricken with foot and mouth dis- ease, the country would have a significant number of veterinarians who have had first-hand experience in fighting the disease. Since March, about 60 Canadian vets have had the opportunity to work on the eradication of the disease in the UK. One of them was Dr. John Churchill, of the Canadian Food Inspection Agengy in Port Perry. Certified in foreign animal diseases, Dr. Churchill was part of a team of 10 veterinarians and three techni- cians sent overseas to help in the fight against the out- break, which has threatened the country's livestock industry. Foot and mouth disease has ravaged the UK since the early spring. The virus affects such cloven-hoofed animals as cows, sheep, pigs and goats. Highly conta- gious, it can be carried for kilometres by people or cars. The virus can be spread by contaminated hay, water, animal secretions and excretions, and can sur- vive for relatively long periods in the air, in food and garbage and in hides, hair and wool. Occasionally, the disease can spread to humans; but it causes only mild flu-like symptoms. The bug usually isn't fatal. In most cases, an infect- ed animal's immune system will fight it off; but until that happens, the animal wastes away, suffering, as it is unable to eat or walk. The only way to effectively stop the spread of the virus is to destroy the animals in a humane and professional manner. For three weeks in June, Dr. Churchill worked with a team as they helped eradicate the disease in the Yorkshire Dales. Working in an area about half the size of the Durham Region, he was supplied with a vehicle equipped with disposable suits and disinfectants, as well as specialized equipment. Working with maps that outlined all the infected areas of Yorkshire, the team's mission was to help rid that part of the county of the disease. Dr. Churchill said the experience was a wrenching one for the English farmers, and the professionals who went to help them deal with the outbreak. And he remembers encountering a group who were protesting the widespread cull. "I'm sure they were from an animal welfare group but, really, as sad as the farmers felt, they were behind us destroying their animals," he said. "They knew we were there to help them." "It was a great international experience working with other professionals in the field from all around the world. It was a wonderful co-operative spirit, one that I'm glad | was able to partake in." During his three-week tenure overseas Dr. Churchill helped supervise the destruction of cattle and sheep. Because of the epidemic no animals were being killed for meat, causing abattoirs to shut down. Workers from the abattoirs formed slaughter teams which humanely destroyed thousands of sick animals and animals deemed at risk of infection, under the supervision of a case officer and a vet. "Although it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my job, it certainly was also a once-in-a- lifetime experience," said Dr. Churchill. "Killing animals is never a pleasant job, and it meant keeping our emotions in check most of the time." The animals were stunned by a captive bolt, the same method used in our local abattoirs, and then a pithing rod was used to kill the unconscious animal. "That way there was no blood to further contaminate the area," said Dr. Churchill "We used them on sheep and cows, but the lambs were killed by lethal injection." All carcasses were either incinerated or sent for ren- dering, "but any rendering products are currently being held under detention," said Dr. Churchill. The outbreak hasn't been fully contained yet, but Dr. Churchill is optimistic it will soon be brought under control. Since his arrival home on July 5 the slaughter still continues, and movement control and quarantine measures to prevent the spread of the virus remain in place. Dr. Churchill says he and his colleagues who served overseas will be better prepared should foot and mouth disease ever break out in Canada. As of July 13, presence of the virus had been con- firmed on 1,841 farms in Britain. Some 3.5 million ani- mals have been culled; that total includes 555,000 cat- tle, 2.8 million sheep, 129,000 pigs and 2,000 goats. For two weeks after returning home Dr. Churchill was prohibited from visiting local farms, even though his clothes and footwear had been properly disinfected. "We took excellent bio-security measures, both prior to leaving England and on arrival home," he said.