This story is a bit of a worry if you live in Kent (well anywhere i suppose!)

http://www.kentnews.co.uk/Kent-News/Dog-owners-warned-after-pet-dies-of-rare-disease.aspx

I sure it was John who commented on this very thing on the introduction of the Pet Passport.

It was brought home to those of us in Large Munsterlanders last year when an imported Danish bitch died nearly 2 years after entering this country. She had come over land via France and had a tick on her when delivered to her owner. We need new bloodlines to keep the gene pool healthy, but how are we supposed to fight this? If she'd been flown directly she would probably have been ok :(

If truckers are supposed to bring it in then we've no chance, have we? Unless every vehicle is thoroughly cleaned to make sure nothing has come over. This tick had to have come off someone, or some living thing. IMHO.

If that's a recent article they're wrong in one detail; the one where they say "a disease never previously recorded in Britain". There was a news report in May 2004 about the same thing.

Yep its a recent article Jeangenie, if you click on Saturday Observer on the left hand side column its on the front page.
I wonder if anyone keeps a database/record of any reported incidents since the introduction of the Pet Passport?

It's a bit contradictory, though, because they do go on to say "Until now, this disease has only been seen in dogs that have travelled to France, Italy, Spain and Portugal" which is the case with the Westie in the Telegraph Report.  This appears to be a dog that has been infected by the tick here in the UK.

If you read todays article (on the link) it says the woman frequently walked along the tracks of the eurostar and trucks and the dog has never been abroad.
I imagine seeing as it doesn't affect humans too much (unless you're ill or infirm i guess) then it wasn't deemed important enough when considering the passport