Cancer research Highly contagious

ON Tuesday, February 7, the Junta de Castilla­La Mancha activated the immobilisation protocol for all livestock in the Castilian­La Mancha provinces, except in Guadalajara. This was due to a new outbreak of sheep pox.

It is not transmitted to humans or to the milk or cheese the animals produce, but is a highly contagious disease with high mortality among farm livestock.

The measure affected 6,000 sheep and goat farms in Cuenca, Ciudad Real, Toledo, and Albacete, with some 3.5 million head of cattle.

Regarding the movement of animals, only those going to the slaughterhouse are authorised, although milk can continue to be collected on the farms and the animals can also be grazed.

Experts were said to be surprised by the rapid transmission of the virus. It began as an outbreak of sheep/goat smallpox in Granada, which then made the leap to Cuenca. Since then it spread in the Castilian­La Mancha region, causing 25 outbreaks and leaving livestock immobilised. As a result, 38,000 animals have already been slaughtered.

SPAIN’S Minister for Science and Innovation, Diana Morant, visited the Research Foundation of the Hospital Clinico de Valencia where she highlighted that in the period 2018­2022, the ministry allocated more than €480 million to research projects to tackle this disease.

Morant stated that the fight against cancer is a national priority for the government of Spain and pointed out that the largest amount of money invested in health research is directed at this disease, which has a great impact not only on patients, but also on their families and their environment.

During her visit to the hospital, the minister visited the Immune 4 ALL project which aims to detect biomarkers that can predict the effect of immunotherapy on tumours with high mortality rates such as those involved in breast, ovarian, cervical, colon, biliary tract and liver cancer. Eight autonomous communities and nearly 1,600 patients are taking part in this project.

The minister also conveyed the government’s commitment to promoting precision medicine, which combines healthcare and research through strategic projects.