Several cases of BTV12 infection, which causes bluetongue disease, have been detected in the Netherlands. There is no vaccine available for it, the Dutch government informed.
The BTV12 virus was detected on Thursday in a sheep, as well as a cow and her calf on two farms located in the center of the Netherlands, the country's authorities reported. This virus causes bluetongue, which can be fatal to ruminants such as sheep, cattle and goats.
A new variant of the virus, BTV3, has been circulating in Europe since late last year, leading to vaccination campaigns in affected countries including France and the Netherlands.
The Dutch Ministry of Agriculture said the BTV12 variant had previously been found in countries outside Europe. It added that it was too early to say whether a new vaccine was needed.
Bluetongue disease
Bluetongue disease is caused by a virus abbreviated as BTV (Bluetongue virus), which belongs to the Reoviridae family. Symptoms include high fever, mouth ulcers, swelling and a blue tongue. It mainly affects sheep, less frequently cattle, goats, dromedary camels and elephants.
The disease can be fatal to animals and is most dangerous for sheep, but it may also cause no symptoms. Mortality usually ranges from 2 to 30 percent, but can be as high as 70 percent, and symptoms vary depending on the species, according to the World Organization for Animal Health.
Simultaneously the disease does not pose a threat to humans, it does not spread to other species of farm and domestic animals, and products derived from these animals – meat, milk, etc. – do not pose a threat to humans.
The number of insects carrying this disease increases in late summer and autumn, so cases of disease may be reported more frequently during this period.
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