IFAH-Europe
Questions and answers on
bluetongue

What is bluetongue?

Bluetongue is a viral disease that affects ruminants, especially sheep. It can
also affect cattle, goats, camels, deer and other wild ruminants. It has been
named after one of the symptoms that can occur in the animal, which is a
bluish coloration of the tongue.

Sheep are particularly susceptible to more serious forms of the disease,
whereas the infection is often less damaging in other ruminants such as cattle
and goats.

At present 24 types (serotypes) of the virus are recognised. The virulence and
mortality rate of the different virus strains vary considerably.
Does bluetongue pose any threat to public health or food safety?
Bluetongue does not affect people, nor is there any risk of the disease being
contracted or spread through meat or milk.

What symptoms are characteristic of bluetongue?

Sheep: The symptoms in sheep are very diverse. Some sheep become
seriously ill and die, while others exhibit hardly any symptom at all. In most
cases the first symptom is high fever, followed by swelling and pain in and
around the mouth, which in turn causes excessive salivation.

Ulcers appear on the inside of the cheeks and the sides of the tongue; the
oral tissue becomes a reddish-purple color and the tongue can turn blue –
hence the name bluetongue. An accumulation of fluid can also cause some
sheep to get swollen heads. Lameness and weight loss are other potential
symptoms.

Cattle: Symptoms are milder than in sheep and in some cases animals may
not show clinical signs of disease. However, productivity and reproduction
can be severely impacted.

Goats: Symptoms are comparable to those of cattle. However, there are
cases where goats show no clinical signs of the disease.
Other ruminants: Camels, buffalos, deer and other wild ruminants can also
become infected and they generally display milder symptoms.

Is bluetongue contagious?

Bluetongue is not contagious as ruminants cannot directly infect one another.
It is transmitted exclusively by a very small insect (midge - Culicoides species),
which passes the virus by first biting an infected animal before biting an
uninfected one.

Where does the disease occur?

Globally, the bluetongue disease is currently distributed between latitudes of
approximately 50° north and 34° south, but is known to be expanding into the
northern hemisphere.

In Europe bluetongue has been confirmed in ruminants in the Balearic Islands,
Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, other parts of Italy, Spain, France and Portugal.

As from 2006 Northern Europe has been affected by serotype 8, a new virus
type in the continent, which spread significantly in 2007. As from 14 January
2008 the restriction zone covers Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic,
Denmark, France, Germany, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, the United
Kingdom and Switzerland.

How can you prevent animals from becoming infected?

It has proven impossible to eradicate disease-carrying midges. The activity of
these insects can be reduced by treating animals with an insecticide.

Vaccination has therefore a very important role to prevent animals from
being infected and to control the spread of the disease.

Can vaccination be carried out against bluetongue?

Yes. It is possible to vaccinate against bluetongue. Several animal health
companies have developed vaccines against various virus types, including
serotype 8.

EU legislation on bluetongue contains the option of carrying out a
vaccination policy using live attenuated or inactivated vaccines. In late
2007, the European Commission announced their decision to co-fund new
bluetongue vaccination campaigns in the zones identified in EU member
states, given the rapid spread of the disease in Europe in 2007. The European
Commission has committed to cover 100% of the costs of the purchase of the
vaccine and 50% of the administration costs.

The Commission has urged member states to complete the necessary
procedures and place orders for the vaccines such that they can be ready to
vaccinate animals as necessary.

IFAH-Europe has been working hard to raise awareness with the EU institutions
and among other stakeholders of the need to plan vaccination ahead, as it is
foreseen that bluetongue will reoccur and spread further in Europe in 2008.

The animal health industry is of the view that a clear strategy on bluetongue
vaccination is necessary. This should encompass predictability and a timely
planning, as industry needs to know the demand envisaged by national
vaccination programmes. This means that member states need to place their
orders ahead to ensure that animal health companies can produce and
supply bluetongue vaccine doses on time.

How long does it take to develop a vaccine?

It takes an average of 5 to 7 years to develop a new or improved vaccine
serotype in Europe at a cost of €6 million, according to available European
data. IFAH-Europe and its members are striving to shorten the process and so
increase the availability of vaccines against new disease serotypes.

Could the arrival of bluetongue have been predicted?

Nobody predicted the emergence of bluetongue serotype 8 in northern and
central Europe, but it was expected that other strains would spread
northwards.

Is there any initiative to help improve disease prevention and research at
EU level?

The European Technology Platform for Global Animal Health (ETPGAH), a
stakeholder-led initiative chaired by IFAH-Europe, is working on disease
prediction. The platform is currently setting up a disease information
database, will analyse gaps in the ability to control disease and will
coordinate research on animal diseases.

The ETPGAH’s work will facilitate better preparation to fight animal diseases in
the future.
February 2008

Useful links on bluetongue

Europe

European Commission Directorate General Health and Consumer
Protection (DG SANCO): bluetongue webpage
http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/diseases/controlmeasures/bluetongue_
en.htm

European Commission bluetongue vaccination conference (16.01.08)
http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/diseases/controlmeasures/bluetongue_
conference_en.htm

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA):
Bluetongue webpage
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/EFSA/KeyTopics/efsa_locale-
1178620753812_Bluetongue.htm

International organisations

Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO):
Bluetongue webpage
http://www.fao.org/AG/AGAINFO/subjects/en/health/diseasescards/
bluetongue.html

World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE):
Bluetongue disease data
http://www.oie.int/eng/maladies/fiches/a_A090.htm
Picture gallery
http://www.fao.org/ag/AGA/AGAH/EMPRES/GEMP/resources/cs-btla.
html