Blue tongue
Blue tongue
The Disease- Bluetongue affects ruminants.
- No risk to humans
- Indirect transmission (midge)
- Clinical signs 3-5days post-infection
- Clinical signs similar to Foot & Mouth
- Notifiable
- Short lived fever and off food
- Swollen head
- Oral and nasal lesions and ulceration
- Death (in sheep 20-30%)
- Abortion (5-6%)
- Reduced lambing percentage
- Milk drop
- Males sterile for at least 12 months
- Supportive care (shelter, soft food)
- Antibiotics for secondary infections
- Anti-inflammatory injections as pain relief
- Control midges
- Butox SWISH
- Management
- Closed housing
- Double doors with fly traps
- Loading and transporting at times of low midge activity
- Darkening interior of transport vehicles by covering sides with shade cloth.
- Vaccination
Currently, the policy on vaccination is to prioritise vaccine to ‘Protection Zones'. These are areas which have had confirmed cases of Bluetongue. There will be no vaccine available to farms outside of these areas at present. At present, no areas in Wales qualify as Protection Zones, but comments from the Welsh Assembly are expected soon.
The long term goal is to have all areas vaccinating against blue tongue, but through a voluntary scheme.
We have an order form at reception, for farms to sign up for vaccine, but at present we are quite low on the priority list.
For the most up-to-date information on vaccination, visit:
www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/bluetongue/control/vaccination.htm