October 25, 2007

Germany's bluetongue disease continues to spread

Bluetongue (BT) cases in Germany since January this year has reached 14,174 with the majority of cases with the majority of cases happening between August and October, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

The disease is classified as serotype 8 (BT-8) and is also now considered as an endemic in northwest Europe. BT was first recorded in Germany in North Rhine Westphalia in August 2006.

Currently, there are no vaccines available against BT-8 and active BT vaccines that are currently used in South Africa are said to have many side effects. Moreover, the difficulty in identifying vaccinated animals from the infected ones have also made disease control and monitoring complicated. The German Research Institute for Animal Health (FLI) hopes that a vaccine which is currently in works can be approved next year.

BT is a non-contagious viral disease transmitted by midges and usually during summer and fall due to its biological makeup. BT affects milk productivity in infected cows, fertility and the rate of stillbirths.