ANPEA sheep infected with bluetongue
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 17:42
More than 37,000 sheep have died from bluetongue. Adult sheep (older than one year old) in particular are affected by the virus, according to an analysis by the Royal GD laboratory.
Ruminants infected with bluetongue may experience swollen joints, limping and drooling. Last September 6, it was announced that the virus had been found in the Netherlands. The Netherlands then had more than 900,000 sheep.
In three months, bluetongue was subsequently detected at more than 5,500 locations, the analysis shows. The monitoring included data up to and including the end of October.
On livestock farms that have had to deal with bluetongue, an average of a quarter of the sheep died. It is not yet clear why mainly adult sheep succumbed to the virus, compared to lambs.
Almost no deaths from bluetongue have been found among goats, which are also ruminants. The mortality rates of other ruminants, such as cattle and alpacas, were not included in the analysis.
At the beginning of October we made this video in the stable of Co de Wildt, who saw many sheep die:
‘As long as we don’t have a vaccine, it’s a dead end battle’
The danger has not passed. In the spring the midge can become more active again. Steps are being taken to deploy a vaccine on livestock farms. In the best scenario, this vaccine will be available by mid-2024.
Not every animal dies from bluetongue. Some recover from the virus. Research is being conducted into that group.
2023-12-08 16:42:02
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