Bluetongue Virus:
More suspected cases of Bluetongue virus (BTV) have been recently detected in Northern Ireland.
- Bluetongue Virus (BTV) is responsible for causing the severe haemorrhagic disease, bluetongue (BT).
- It is an infectious, non-contagious, vector-borne
- It can infect domestic ruminants, including cattle, sheep, and goats, along with wild animals such as buffalo, deer, antelope, and camels.
- Of the domestic species, sheep are the most severely affected.
- BTV is predominantly spread between ruminants through the bites of infected Culicoides midges, tiny blood-feeding insects that can be found in large numbers on most farms.
- Some BTV strains can be transferred from a ruminant mother to her fetus during pregnancy.
- BTV does not infect humans.
- There are no food safety issues, and meat and dairy products are safe to consume.
- BT can result in high rates of morbidity and even mortality in flocks and herds and can affect production (e.g. milk yields) and trade.
- There is no effective treatment for bluetongue.
- Vaccines are available for certain types of the disease and are used in Africa, Asia, and parts of Europe.
