Treatments and Prevention Health & Disease

Bluetongue Reports Continue Flooding in Across Balkans

EUROPE – Veterinary laboratories across the Balkans have continued reporting cases of Bluetongue virus cases as the death tolls mounts.

25 September 2014

2 minute read

Macedonia appears to be particularly badly hit by the virus, reporting 154 deaths in sheep and goats in its latest disease update.

This is according to the World Organisation for Animal Health which has received notification of widespread cases across the country.

In all, nine countries are presently affected in the European region.

Italy has a different serotype - serotype 1 - to sertoype 4 which is affecting Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Albania and reached a Turkish holding.

Latest reports stated Bosnia and Herzegovina's outbreak was 'untyped'.

The disease has been hurting Greek farms since May, where a further 66 sheep have died in the last fortnight.

Much of Romanian and Bulgarian districts have now confirmed infection. Notification from Prahova in eastern central Romania have spiked in recent weeks.

A further 50 cases and 15 deaths in sheep and cattle were tallied in the latest update.

Serbia, striving to control the disease since infection at the start of September, has reported cases across its eastern regions which have included 10 sheep and a cattle death.

The area lies close to infected neighbouring countries.

Further east, Turkey has continued an expansive vaccination effort, reaching 340,000 head of livestock this week, the OIE reported.

This followed cases on an isolated holding in the Kirklareli region, where the vaccinations have taken place.