After the declaration of four outbreaks of bluetongue in Castro Caldelas, Sarreaus, Fornelos de Montes and As Neves -where two animals from the same farm tested positive-, the Xunta has planned to start tomorrow, Tuesday, March 7, a vaccination campaign against the disease in the areas included in the declared restriction area. This area includes all farms in the provinces of Ourense and Pontevedra and those in the regions of Sarria, Chantada and Terra de Lemos-Quiroga, in the south of Lugo.
In these areas, the vaccination of all bovine and ovine animals over three months of age will be compulsory and free, and it is planned to vaccinate a total of 265,000 bovine animals and 87,000 sheep.
To carry out the campaign, the staff hired by the Ministry of Rural Affairs will summon the different farms, indicating the date on which the vaccination is scheduled. According to the vaccination schedule, sheep will receive a single dose of vaccine, subcutaneously, while cattle will require two vaccine doses, intramuscularly, 21 days apart. This will oblige the personnel who carry out the vaccination to revisit all the bovine farms three weeks after applying the first dose.
It must be remembered that vaccination will be an essential requirement to be able to move animals when the Culicoides mosquito-free period ends. According to the regulations in force, when the activity of the bluetongue transmitting vector begins, foreseeably at the end of April, the movement of animals from the restricted area may only be authorized if they come from vaccinated farms, and it is necessary that over 4 months are vaccinated, or if they are animals under that age, they come from vaccinated mothers.
