http://www.westmidlandsprepared.gov.uk The Local Resilience Forum website for the West Midlands Conurbation Fri, 23 May 2008 13:56:05 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Following the Exeter bomb incident on Thursday 22nd May 2008, there is no intelligence to suggest an increased threat within the West Midlands. West Midlands Police have, since the evening of the 22nd May, been contacting all premises (through the retail alert scheme) asking them to increase vigilance in and around ... http://www.westmidlandsprepared.gov.uk/2008/05/23/exeter-bomb-loaded-with-chemicals/ Hundreds of UK power substations and water treatment plants are potentially at risk from flooding, a confidential government study suggests. BBC News has seen the conclusions of research commissioned after the devastating floods of 2007. Yorkshire and Humberside, the Midlands and Gloucestershire were among the worst affected areas after heavy rain. And a ... http://www.westmidlandsprepared.gov.uk/2008/05/07/flood-risk-fear-over-key-uk-sites/ Symptoms of bluetongue are generally worst in sheep The first vaccinations against the animal disease bluetongue are taking place on a farm in Norfolk. The non-contagious virus, spread by midges, was first reported in Britain last year. Since then, 127 premises have been infected. Vets and farmers' leaders have welcomed the speed ... http://www.westmidlandsprepared.gov.uk/2008/05/02/bluetongue-vaccine-for-uk-farms/ żż What is Pandemic influenza and what makes it different from ordinary flu? Pandemic influenza is different from ordinary seasonal flu, which for most people is an unpleasant illness but runs its natural course (sometimes referred to as self-limiting) and is not life-endangering. Pandemic flu can occur when a new influenza virus ... http://www.westmidlandsprepared.gov.uk/2008/04/02/pandemic-influenza/ Situated in the heart of the Black Country, the borough of Dudley is one of the largest in the country. Proud of its past and positive about its future, at nearly 40 square miles and with four main townships it offers surprising contrast. Created in 1974 from the towns of Dudley, ... http://www.westmidlandsprepared.gov.uk/2008/04/02/dudley/ What is Pandemic influenza and what makes it different from ordinary flu? Pandemic influenza is different from ordinary seasonal flu, which for most people is an unpleasant illness but runs its natural course (sometimes referred to as self-limiting) and is not life-endangering. Pandemic flu can occur when a new influenza virus ... http://www.westmidlandsprepared.gov.uk/2008/02/18/pandemic-influenza-hs-workplace-guidance-february-2008/ The West Midlands has been included in the protection zone to stop the spread of bluetongue disease. The Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) extended the zone following two outbreaks of the disease in Cambridgeshire and Kent. Livestock cannot be moved outside the zone, apart from being taken ... http://www.westmidlandsprepared.gov.uk/2007/10/18/bluetongue-restrictions-in-west-midlands/ A temporary control zone around a farm in Solihull, in the West Midlands, has been lifted after disease tests on animals there proved negative. Earlier, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it was also lifting some movement restrictions outside the surveillance zone surrounding the three ... http://www.westmidlandsprepared.gov.uk/2007/09/21/west-midlands-clear-of-foot-and-mouth/ Tests are being carried out on livestock at a premises in the West Midlands to find out if foot-and-mouth disease is present. A temporary control zone was put around the site in Solihull as a precautionary measure Government vets have carried out an assessment of the symptoms in livestock at ... http://www.westmidlandsprepared.gov.uk/2007/09/19/suspected-foot-and-mouth-in-west-midlands/ For the latest status reports, information and advice on the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in Surrey, and the implications for the rest of the country, please follow this link to the DEFRA website. You can also download a factsheet produced by DEFRA here: What to do when ... http://www.westmidlandsprepared.gov.uk/2007/08/06/foot-and-mouth-info-and-advice/