- occurrence of bluetongue in bovine and ovine animals
The dangerous Blue Tongue disease for animals has been detected in cattle and sheep in Saxony-Anhalt. According to the State Ministry of Agriculture in Magdeburg, this is the first time that the BTV-3 variant has been detected in Saxony-Anhalt. A few years ago, the BTV-8 variant was already detected once.
Initially, the district of Harz reported that the disease had been detected in a cattle farm near Wernigerode by the responsible laboratory of the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute. Later, the Altmarkkreis Salzwedel also reported that the pathogen had been found in two sheep herds. Affected are herds in the Verbandsgemeinde Beetzendorf-Diesdorf and the Einheitsgemeinde Kalbe (Milde).
Saxony-Anhalt is no longer considered "disease-free".
The county veterinarian of the district of Harz, Rainer Miethig, said that with this detection, the entire federal state loses its "disease-free" status. Since early July, more and more federal states have been reporting an explosive spread of the disease. Among others, the animal disease has been detected in North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate, Bremen, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Blue Tongue disease is a viral disease in ruminants such as sheep or cattle, which is transmitted by small midges. Affected animals may suffer from loss of appetite and fever, and the disease can be fatal. The pathogen is harmless to humans. According to the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, the Blue Tongue disease of serotype 3 is currently spreading. According to the district of Harz, almost 1,500 outbreaks have been registered in Germany so far.
The farmers' association of Saxony-Anhalt announced that livestock owners could use three vaccines that have been approved under an emergency ordinance. No statements could be made about the possible extent of damage because the effects in affected herds are very different. Moreover, there are interactions with other factors, such as the weather.
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Germany, like Saxony-Anhalt, has also reported cases of the Blue Tongue disease. The disease has been detected in North Rhine-Westphalia, one of the federal states in Germany.
