December 17, 2007

 

UK reports new Bluetongue disease case

 

 

British authorities have reported a new case of the Bluetongue disease in a cow imported from Germany, two months after an earlier outbreak was said to have been contained.

 

The latest case was confirmed near Middlesbrough in north-east England - outside a protection zone set up around an outbreak in eastern England in September, according to a statement issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

 

The farm involved "has been placed under restrictions, and the cow will be culled as it potentially provides a source of infection" for other animals, Defra said.

 

Defra added that there will be a "full epidemiological investigation is being undertaken on the premises" and so far, there is no "evidence that virus is circulating in the area, thus, no changes to the existing Bluetongue zones and no new zones will be established at this time."

 

The British ministry said in October that an outbreak of Bluetongue had been contained after 25 farms in eastern England were infected.

 

The disease is the latest blow to British farming, which saw the reappearance of foot and mouth disease in August for the first time since it devastated the livestock sector in 2001.

 

In November, the environment ministry said the new FMD leak from a research centre was believed to be the source of the first outbreak.

 

Bluetongue is difficult to control as it is passed mainly by tiny flying midges. It is not a risk to humans, but in animals it causes high fevers, mouth ulcers and swollen heads.

 

The disease has swept the European Union last tear since the first outbreak of the BTV-8 strain due to the unavailability of vaccines.

 

In the past, Bluetongue tended to occur south in Spain and Italy as well as northern Africa, and some experts blame climate change for its northward progress.