Updated – Bluetongue Virus Europe from APHA’s International Disease Monitoring Team

APHA’s International Disease Monitoring Team as on 3 October 2023:

Updated outbreak assessment #6 – Bluetongue Virus (BTV) Europe

In summary:

• On 5 September 2023, an immediate notification was made to WOAH of BTV infections on 4 sheep farms in the Netherlands for the first time since 2009.
• The serotype responsible for these outbreaks has been confirmed as BTV-3 but the route of incursion is currently unknown.
• By 29 September, a total of 416 outbreaks of BTV-3 have been reported by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (NVWA).
• The reports of BTV-3 in the Netherlands are of greater concern, as there is no approved vaccine for BTV-3 and the trade of live sheep / cattle from the Netherlands is no longer possible.
• Additionally, on 21 September, the National Reference Laboratory for France reported more than 300 outbreaks of BTV-8.
• Considering all disease incursion routes from both France and the Netherlands, the overall risk of BTV entry has been assessed as MEDIUM.

This report will soon be published at: Animal diseases: international and UK monitoring – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

IDM’s interactive online maps are available here.