February 12, 2008

England reports three new cases of bluetongue in livestock

Three new cases of bluetongue virus have been discovered in England, the first incident this year, an environmental officer said Monday.

Two of the three cases were confirmed on Friday in an area southeast of London while the other one was found in northwest of the capital, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) spokesman confirmed.

Officials have already extended the zones in which movement of animals is restricted to avoid spreading the disease, the spokesman reported.

The informant said she did not know what kind of livestock has been stricken by the virus.

To date, there have been 75 bluetongue cases confirmed in England since the disease was first discovered on September 28.

The disease was once confined to mediterranean areas, but has been spreading north since August 2006. Outbreaks have been detected in countries such as Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Denmark.

Bluetongue disease is a non-contagious, insect-borne viral disease of ruminants, mainly sheep and less frequently of cattle, goats, buffalo and deer. There has been no incidence of human transmission.