A fourth farm has tested positive for foot and mouth in Surrey, but another disease is now stalking the land. Bluetongue, an insect borne viral infection, has been confirmed on a farm near Ipswich, Suffolk. The disease is not contagious, but can lead to a 70% mortality among sheep and lead to a significant drop in milk production in cows. Surviving animals become immune against it.
Bluetongue originates in Africa, but has migrated north with the gradual warming of the climate across Europe. Cases of the disease were reported from Holland and Belgium over the past few years, and it has now appeared in the UK. A 20 km / 12 mile exclusion zone has been established around the farm, and further tests are carried out to see if other animals or farms are affected.
If you keep livestock in the UK, it is strongly recommended you read this factsheet from DEFRA. Bluetongue is a notifiable disease, and any animals with clinical symptoms should immediately be reported.
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What next! For goodness sake!
ReplyDeleteWouldn't you think that animals could be injected agains these diseases by now?
If not why not?
Jeanie
It`s all very worrying isn`t it? As it is Foot and Mouth is very close to where I live and the farmers are getting very worried. We have a large herd of Jersey dairy cattle just down the road and it would be heartbreaking if they are hit. I just hope it can be stopped but nothing can be done about bluetongue as yet.
ReplyDeleteLove Sandra xxxx
That's really sad. My heart goes out to the farmers trying to make a living with livestock. It's not as easy as it used to be. Linda in Washington state
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of this... hope it clears up....
ReplyDeletebe well,
Dawn