Last week, the College of Veterinarians of Madrid (Colvema) organized a webinar to inform its members about the current situation of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHE) – which already affects the entire Peninsula except Catalonia and Galicia – taught by specialists in Alberto Diez and Alfonso Monge cattle, attended by 145 professionals. According to the specialized veterinary media Animals Health, Díez, bovine specialist, member of the Governing Board of Colvema, associate professor of the Department of Animal Health of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) and member of Laboratory of Veterinary Health Surveillance (VISAVET), wanted to make it clear first of all that “it is not a zoonotic disease in any case, which therefore is not transmitted to humans either by mosquito bites, or by direct contact, or by the consumption of products of animal origin”.
There are eight serotypes of the virus (it is very similar to that of bluetongue) and those that cause the disease in cattle are 2, 6, 7 and 8, which is the one found in Spain and almost certainly comes from Africa. EHE is endemic in certain areas of the United States, Japan, Africa and Australia. The virus multiplies its virulence within the organism of the mosquito that carries it and, when it bites another animal, it transmits the disease. It mainly affects the spleen and lung.
Animals Health explains that the virus replicates in the vascular epithelium, causing thrombosis and hemorrhage. It produces severe inflammatory symptoms with significant tissue necrosis in the oronasal and digestive mucosa. Animals can be infective for up to 90 days, which greatly complicates the isolation of those affected. The initial immune response is decisive in the evolution of the disease, which when acute produces fulminant death; If it is acute, it causes multifocal hemorrhages that can also end the life of the animal. In cattle, fortunately, there are many asymptomatic animals.
There are two types of vaccines against EHE in Japan and the United States and several lines of research are open, but in Europe there is still no registered vaccine and, at the moment, it has little commercial interest, so it is not foreseeable to have one in the short or medium term, says the specialized media. Attenuated vaccines are the most effective, but the mosquito can bite animals to which they have been administered and pass the virus to free areas, in addition to the risk of viral recombinations and mutations. “The laboratories, as long as it is not mandatory, do not consider making a vaccine,” they say from Colvema.
Alberto Díez emphasized that rural veterinarians “have a key role in the control of these diseases and we must provide training to livestock farmers.” On the other hand, “we must adopt responsibilities when administering antibiotics to avoid their indiscriminate and massive use.”
Next, Alfonso Monge, a ruminant specialist veterinarian with extensive experience, was in charge of commenting on the clinical aspects of the disease. In cattle, according to his experience, the disease has not yet been widely studied in the world. The morbidity of serotype 8 is 60-90% (infected animals, but without symptoms), 10-20% present clinical symptoms and mortality is between 0.5-3%, aggravated by the heat waves of this summer added to the dehydration caused by the disease itself.
As Animals Health explains, the veterinarian commented that they are now seeing abortions, stillborn calves, mummification, weak calf syndrome (they end up dying) and calves with deformities in their hind limbs. Beef cows usually have only one calf a year and, if they lose it, they are no longer profitable for the farmer with consequent economic damage. As far as treatment is concerned, symptoms should be addressed as soon as possible through palliative care: basically water and shade. The inflammation is treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and corticosteroids. For this, the farm veterinarian is key (catheterization for hydration, corticosteroid injections, treatment of secondary complications such as pneumonia or diarrhea that require antibiotics, etc.).
The administration.
Livestock farmers feel defenseless against this disease, which at first seemed like it was going to go unnoticed, and they complain about the lack of information and the passivity of the administrations, both in the case of the Ministry of Agriculture and the autonomous communities. In this regard, the Ministry of Luis Planas has assured that it is “in permanent contact” with the autonomous communities and the relevant authorities to make strategic decisions and maintain coordination in the face of the expansion of the epizootic hemorrhagic disease. Agriculture has added that it has always kept a data and information exchange channel open since November 2022, when the virus was confirmed for the first time in Spain.
“We are collecting all the information from the competent authorities of the autonomous communities to be able to provide increasingly precise figures,” the ministry clarifies. With the information received so far, the morbidity and mortality percentages are below the indicated figures, but Luis Planas’ ministry has pointed out that it is necessary to maintain caution.
Despite this “permanent contact”, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development of the Government of Castilla y León, Gerardo Dueñas, made public this Tuesday the sending of a letter to the acting Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, in the who urge him to call an “urgent” meeting with the autonomous communities to address the problems caused by the disease.
Negotiations have also begun at the European level to, first of all, make life movements more flexible from restricted areas (150 km around the outbreaks) to other European countries. This point is key for many ranchers whose main source of income is export.
Meanwhile, the manager of the Association of Beef Producers (Asoprovac), Matilde Moro, warned a few days ago of the “great concern” that farmers have about the spread of this disease, about which they have “very disconcerting data.” ». «We had a meeting with the Ministry (of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) in June in which they told us that there were outbreaks, that the forecast was for the disease to advance and that, in principle, they were not particularly concerned in terms of health. In fact, no particularly strict measures have been put in place because the idea that the Ministry had is that there was no major problem.
2023-09-23 03:00:00
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