19 Aug 2024
Vets and farmers urged to regularly monitor herds as the virus continues to spread in mainland Europe.
Allister Webb
Job Title
UK CVO Christine Middlemiss was among those from the veterinary sector recognised in the New Year Honours List.
Denmark has become the latest country to be affected by the new bluetongue virus strain that has devastated thousands of farms across northern Europe in the past few months.
The BTV-3 strain has been found at six sites so far and is suspected at eight others, according to figures released by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (DVFA) on Friday 16 August.
The news has prompted further pleas for vigilance among British vets and farmers, as scientists warned suitable transmission conditions were likely to be behind the continent’s latest surge.
UK CVO Christine Middlemiss said: “BTV outbreaks in Europe are on the rise and we must remain vigilant to the threat of disease spread. If you suspect disease in your animals please report.
“If you intend to move animals to live out of high-risk counties, including if you are buying in new animals, please take advantage of the free testing scheme to help stop the movement of non-clinical disease.”
Denmark is now the seventh European country known to have been affected by the BTV-3 strain since it was first detected last autumn.
The new infections represent the first bluetongue incursion into the country since 2009 and officials have warned they expect more cases to follow.
The cases have also led to a halt in the export of all live ruminants from Denmark to Great Britain, because of the current lack of an available BTV-3 vaccine there.
According to the latest published APHA assessment, dated 8 August, three vaccines are currently licensed for use in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, where more than 4,000 new cases have been recorded in total since May.
Two of the vaccines are also available in France, where the first confirmed BTV-3 case was recorded on 6 August, while the document reported that 28 premises in Luxembourg are also affected by the strain.
The APHA paper said the BTV-3 cases, together with the BTV-8 strain’s progress in southern France and north-eastern Spain, “provide potential for a new incursion of BTV into Great Britain”, though it acknowledged that the BTV-8 situation was unclear.
Although no new bluetongue cases have been recorded in England since early March,
APHA interim chief executive Jenny Stewart said the assessment showed the importance of regular monitoring for signs of infection.
She added: “Our scientists, vets and field teams stand ready to tackle an outbreak of bluetongue virus and ensure farmers are kept up to date and supported.”
