Bluetongue: 41 outbreaks in 6 departments in northern France confirmed

Forty-one outbreaks of a new type of bluetongue disease (BT), also known as “blue tongue disease”, had been confirmed as of August 14 in six departments in northern France, the Ministry of Agriculture said on Friday.

They are spread across Aisne, Ardennes, Marne, Moselle, Nord and Oise, the ministry said in an update of the number of farms concerned.

A “regulated” zone of 150 kilometers around confirmed outbreaks, where the movement of cattle, goats and sheep is subject to restrictions in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus, now extends to 30 departments.

The new serotype 3 of this virus, which is not transmissible to humans, was detected for the first time in Europe in September 2023, in the Netherlands, before being detected in Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom in the following months.

The first cases were confirmed in early August in France, Luxembourg and Denmark.

The spread of the disease is currently accelerating in several countries, with Dutch authorities reporting some 3,807 outbreaks on Thursday, 900 more than on Monday.

Bluetongue is manifested by fever, respiratory problems, a hanging tongue or even the loss of pregnant young and sometimes by the death of the animals, in proportions varying from one farm to another. Its detection does not lead to the slaughter of the animals, unlike avian flu.

It also affects cattle, but with very low mortality, as well as goats.

Vaccines are available and a vaccination campaign began in northern France this week.

Other serotypes of the disease have already been present for several years in Europe, with adequate vaccines but not always available or used by farmers. France has been dealing for several years with serotypes 4 and 8 of the FCO, which have killed thousands of sheep in recent weeks in the south.

© 2024 AFP

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