Bluetongue virus has been found in the UK.
This is a notifiable disease, which means active surveillance zones will be enforced by Defra. If you suspect an animal is infected with bluetongue disease you must report it immediately.
Keep up to date with the situation.
Bluetongue virus can infect domestic and wild animals including all ruminants (sheep, cattle and deer). There are 29 different types of bluetongue virus (serotypes), most of which are spread by several species of Culicoides biting midges. Disease can also be spread through biological products (such as blood and semen).
Different serotypes of bluetongue virus cause varying severities of infection in different animal species. Typically, certain breeds of sheep are more severely affected by bluetongue than other animals. The current serotype in the UK is bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV-3) this can cause serious disease in both sheep and cattle. Bluetongue serotypes 4 (BTV-4) and 8 (BTV-8) are also currently circulating in Europe.
Signs to look out for:
Signs of bluetongue in sheep include:
Signs of bluetongue in cattle include:
Goat, deer and camelid owners should also remain vigilant to signs of disease.
What can you do?
Currently there is no vaccine for bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV-3).
There are vaccines available for BTV-1, BTV-2, BTV-4 and BTV-8, of which BTV-4 and BTV-8 are currently circulating in Europe. It can take up to 6 weeks for your animals to develop immunity to bluetongue after vaccination and vaccination may require 2 doses, 3 weeks apart. It is worth discussing with your vet to find out if vaccination would benefit your business or your animals.
It is important to practice good hygiene when vaccinating animals due to the risk of disease spread through dirty needles and generally through poor biological control.
Controlling Culicoides biting midges is very difficult due to their small size and how common they are. Midges are most active at dusk and dawn between April and November but will also be active on overcast, still days and inside animal housing.
We understand that this outbreak represents an incredibly stressful time for livestock owners and will be publishing any and all suitable advice that we find through our research. If your local group would like to talk to an expert please get in touch and we can organise local meetings to address questions and raise gaps in the research with relevant scientists and policymakers.
If you are concerned about the future, or want to talk to someone, the NFU has a list of local support services.