Slovenia reports outbreak of bluetongue disease on sheep farm
Bluetongue can be deadly for domestic ruminants such as sheep, cattle and goats. It does not affect humans or the safety of animal meat or milk.
One sheep was affected by the virus on a sheep farm with 49 animals in the town of Ilirska Bistrica, the report says.
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Reuters
a day ago
- Reuters
Slovenia reports outbreak of bluetongue disease on sheep farm
PARIS, July 22 (Reuters) - Slovenia has reported an outbreak of bluetongue disease on a sheep farm in the southwest, the World Organisation for Animal Health said on Tuesday, citing Slovenian authorities. Bluetongue can be deadly for domestic ruminants such as sheep, cattle and goats. It does not affect humans or the safety of animal meat or milk. One sheep was affected by the virus on a sheep farm with 49 animals in the town of Ilirska Bistrica, the report says.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Vaccine scepticism affecting bluetongue jab uptake for sheep and cows
Vaccine scepticism and misinformation is affecting uptake of bluetongue jabs needed to protect farm animals, senior vets have shared with the BBC suggest fewer than 1% of Wales' eight million sheep have been vaccinated so far against the potentially fatal of livestock from England into Wales has been restricted in recent weeks, with new cases of the disease subsequently found near the border in fear the impact could be "catastrophic" should bluetongue take hold in Wales, where livestock farms dominate the agricultural landscape. Spread by midges, bluetongue presents no threat to food safety or human health, but can have serious consequences for ruminant livestock like sheep and and farming organisations are using this week's Royal Welsh Agricultural Show in Llanelwedd, Powys, to push for greater uptake of available show - one of Europe's biggest agricultural events - has banned sheep and cattle from England and Scotland this year, as part of efforts to try and keep the virus out of Wales for as long as government restrictions also limit the movement of sheep across the border without a negative test, while cattle must be fully vaccinated. The latest bluetongue outbreak began in the Netherlands in 2023, where tens of thousands of sheep have blown over from the continent began infecting livestock in the south east of England restrictions helped slow the virus' spread, but as of 1 July the whole of England was classed as a restricted zone for temperatures mean the midge population is now active and the first cases this year were confirmed on 11 July after pre-movement tests on two cattle in has since been revealed these animals were due to be sent on to Wales. "It's been seen as something that's a long way away - but now there's a real possibility that it could get into Wales," warned Phil Thomas, of the Wales Veterinary Science Centre (WVSC)."There's been a lot of misinformation, a lot of downplaying of the disease and I think post-Covid there's also a lot of vaccine scepticism out there," he fact the virus had arrived in less livestock dense parts of the UK to begin with had helped limit the spread, he monitoring of affected farms in the south east of England had revealed worrying implications should the disease reach the UK's sheep and cattle farming heartlands.A recent WVSC webinar for Welsh vets heard of farms in Norfolk experiencing long term fertility issues in herds and flocks which had been infected."There was a sheep farm where 30% of their animals were sick, around 5% died but surviving rams were infertile and the ewes were giving birth to deformed lambs," Mr Thomas example involved a suckler herd of 120 cows where fewer than 60 calves were born the year after infection."It's a big economic loss, and that's a lot of dead stock if it gets into the stock-dense areas that we have in Wales and the borders," he added. An industry wide social media campaign has been launched in recent weeks, with Welsh vets and farmers making an appeal for others to consider vaccinating their livestock."There's been real concern over lack of uptake of the vaccine," explained farm vet Sara Pedersen and member of the Wales Animal Health and Welfare Framework were coming up against "quite a bit of misinformation" such as people saying "it's harmless and it won't reach Wales", she said."We really felt we needed to cut through that and make the most of the opportunity of keeping it out for as long as possible."When it comes it could have catastrophic effects," she warned. How many animals have been vaccinated? The latest figures shared with the BBC showed the vaccine had been prescribed by vets for 154,260 animals in Wales, including 103,970 cattle, 48,904 sheep, 200 camelids (llamas and alpacas) and 1,186 goats. Animal keepers themselves have reported vaccination of 79,694 animals, including 48,403 cattle, 30,898 sheep, and 393 others, including camelids and goats. At Llandovery livestock market in Carmarthenshire, none of the farmers BBC Wales spoke to had vaccinated their animals so far."I'm right down in west Wales so haven't thought of vaccinating yet," explained Alan Jones."But I am keeping an eye on it and reading the news all the time.""We're lucky that bluetongue hasn't affected this area yet," added Gruff Jones, who was worried about how much he would have to spend on vaccination."There are so many costs involved in farming now with fertiliser and feed and everything - add that on and there won't be any profit at all," he Page felt the Welsh government should offer to pay towards the costs of the jabs."There should be more help for farmers to vaccinate their sheep," he said. Jabs cost between £2.50 and £3 per sheep and between £5 and £6 for Roberts of the National Sheep Association (NSA) in Wales said the organisation was urging its members to consider vaccinating their flocks."Even if it ends up that there are not many outbreaks this year, you're still putting in protection for next year - it's well worth doing," she also called for research into whether the vaccines go further than alleviating symptoms in sheep and prevent viremia - circulation of the virus in the blood - to be might allow for the prospect of an easing of cross-border movement restrictions for vaccinated sheep."I'm hoping that information does come through sooner rather than later," she said, adding it would further incentivise uptake of the NSA is asking the Welsh government to set out a plan for how it intends to deal with the disruption to trade along the border as a result of the restrictions."It's coming into peak sales time now with breeding rams and ewes, we need an announcement soon," Ms Roberts said. Deputy first minister Huw Irranca-Davies said the Welsh government was doing its "very best to hold the disease back", buying time for farmers to vaccinate their he warned "the wolf is at our door". He said he was being updated daily by officials and Wales' chief veterinary officer and the Welsh government would keep movement restrictions under review throughout the summer. "But I just want to say very frankly and honestly that every time we make an adjustment it increases cumulatively the risk of bluetongue incursion into Wales," he said.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- The Guardian
Prominent US anti-vaxxer says he caught measles and traveled back home
One of the most prominent anti-vaccine activists in the US says he caught measles in west Texas and traveled back home – but he seems not to have alerted local authorities of his illness, which means the highly transmissible virus may have spread onward. Measles is a threat to people who are unvaccinated or immune-compromised. In anti-vaccine communities, it may quickly find a foothold and spread largely under the radar before ballooning into an outbreak. Brian Hooker, chief scientific officer of Children's Health Defense, filmed an interview in west Texas in March with the parents of the six-year-old child who died from measles – the first measles death in the US in a decade. The video promoted several dangerous myths about the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Two doses of the vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles, a virus that can be deadly and can cause lifelong harm. Hooker and Polly Tommey, an anti-vaccine film-maker with Children's Health Defense, also interviewed other Mennonite families in west Texas. And they visited the medical office of Ben Edwards while patients and Edwards himself had symptomatic measles, they said. Hooker then traveled home to Redding, California, and developed measles symptoms, he said. 'Full disclosure, 18 days after visiting Seminole, Texas, sitting in a measles clinic and being exposed to Doctor Ben with the measles, I got the measles. So cool,' Hooker said. Hooker, Tommey, and Edwards spoke on a podcast hosted by anti-vaccine activist Steve Kirsch on May 22. This news has not been previously reported by other outlets. Children's Health Defense did not respond to the Guardian's inquiry for this story. Hooker doesn't appear to have sought healthcare or testing to confirm his symptoms were measles and not another infection. Other viral and bacterial infections may cause rashes, which is why medical providers need to conduct tests to confirm measles cases. Without confirmation of his illness being measles, Hooker may spread misinformation about the illness – including what helps to treat it. Hooker says he turned to the alternative treatments hailed by anti-vaccine activists. Edwards had given him cod liver oil and vitamin C supplements in Gaines county, Hooker said, noting: 'I stuck them in my luggage, and that's what I did.' And if this case was measles, by not seeking confirmation testing and notifying officials, Hooker may have contributed to onward spread. It's not clear if his first symptoms appeared after 18 days, or if he developed other symptoms – runny nose, cough, fever, watery eyes – and then a rash after 18 days. After a person is exposed to measles, the virus usually incubates for 11 to 12 days before respiratory symptoms appear, followed by a rash two to four days later. A person is considered infectious four days before the rash appears and remains infectious until four days after it fades. If Hooker's illness was measles, 'it sounds like my worst nightmare as an infectious disease doc,' said Peter Chin-Hong, professor of medicine and infectious disease specialist at University of California San Francisco. 'For all we know, there's a trail of measles, like bread crumbs in Hansel and Gretel.' In areas with no known cases, health providers might not immediately suspect measles, he said: 'Many people probably didn't know they had it. There could have been people who were ill with pneumonia, who went into the hospital and no one diagnosed it. It's very, very hard to diagnose because we haven't seen that much of it. But of course, we're seeing a lot more of it now.' There are other indications that the actual number of cases from the Texas outbreak is higher than the official count, Chin-Hong said – with three confirmed deaths, experts might expect a case count closer to 3,000, instead of the 762 cases in Texas and 95 cases in New Mexico. Typically, medical providers alert local or state health officials when a patient tests positive for measles. Health officials then conduct contact tracing to notify anyone who came into contact with the patient, including other travelers. A representative for the Shasta county health department, serving the area where Hooker says he lives, said there have been no confirmed cases of measles reported this year. 'There are no cases of measles in Shasta county, and we have had no notice of any confirmed cases of measles this year,' said Jules Howard, community education specialist with the Shasta County Health & Human Services Agency. It's important to know when a region has even a single case so resources can be diverted to the area to stop transmission, Chin-Hong said. The most important part of those efforts is contact tracing and vaccinating anyone who is vulnerable – especially infants, pregnant people, and immune-compromised people, he said. Hooker is a prominent figure in the anti-vaccine community. He testified on Tuesday before a US Senate committee in its first-ever 'vaccine injury' hearing, attempting to link MMR vaccination to autism – despite several studies showing no relationship. Hooker said he became sick with measles despite being vaccinated as a child. But because he was born before 1989, he probably only received one dose of the MMR vaccine, which is 93% effective at stopping illness. Vaccination may also make breakthrough illness milder. When anti-vaccine messages keep parents from getting their children vaccinated, 'I think the damage is immediate,' Chin-Hong said, before adding that it 'goes beyond the measles outbreak'. Other vaccine-preventable illnesses like whooping cough and the flu are also surging. 'Measles is like the poster child, but it's about a way of life that we've taken for granted in the last few decades that is threatened,' Chin-Hong said. 'The fact that [they] are questioning it on a public stage means that a lot more people who might have trusted their clinicians are questioning it more now.' The US eliminated measles in 2000, but the nation could lose that status if there is sustained transmission for more than a year. 'We're going back in time,' Chin-Hong said. 'We have to relearn all of these diseases.'
