New sheep are still becoming infected with bluetongue and due to the mild autumn, the end is not yet in sight. A vaccine will have to wait for the time being.
‘It is still 15 degrees, the midges remain active. The spread will weaken slightly with rain and wind, but I still expect new infections in the coming weeks,” says Reinard Everts, veterinarian and director of the Dutch Sheep and Goat Breeders’ Organization (NSFO).
To suppress the virus, it must be cold for two weeks, a maximum of 10 degrees. But the weather forecasts do not show that type of weather. Everts notices that heavy rain and wind dampen the spread. ‘Five to seven days later we see fewer sick animals. But when the mild autumn weather returns, the number of infections will also increase again.’
Vaccine
There is no suitable vaccine available in the Netherlands yet. Eyes were on a vaccine from South Africa, but that process has been halted for the time being because there is insufficient information to determine whether it is safe enough. Everts: ‘So we are really dependent on a vaccine that is produced in Europe. Various pharmaceutical companies are busy working on this, but it is unknown if and when it will come onto the market.’
To date, one in eight Dutch sheep farms has had to deal with mortality due to bluetongue. A total of 3,500 to 4,000 sheep farms in the Netherlands have now been infected, according to figures from the NSFO.
Everts keeps track every day of how many sheep die from bluetongue. “That number is already 30,000 and that is a conservative estimate.” The total sheep population is almost 1 million animals.
At an average value of 150 euros per animal, the NSFO chairman estimates the damage to the sector at 4.5 million euros. If you add the costs of Rendac (approximately 25 euros per animal) and medicine (approximately 20 euros per animal), the damage will approach 10 million euros by the end of this year. “This is apart from the extra labor that sheep farmers have spent on the animals,” Everts emphasizes.
Consequential damage
Almost half (45 percent) of infected farms lost at least a fifth of their flock. Everts expects that the consequential damage will also be extensive, ewes are mated later and the virus has an impact on litter size. ‘How that will actually turn out is anyone’s guess.’
It is also not yet clear how the virus ended up in the Netherlands. The type does not resemble viruses from Italy, Israel and South Africa. Everts calls the story that the contamination came via household waste from Rome far-fetched, because the spread of the virus does not fit with the location of the waste incinerator in Amsterdam. In addition, the virus does not genetically resemble the type 3 virus previously found in Italy.
2023-10-31 15:21:00
#sheep #dead #due #bluetongue
