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Guidance: Bluetongue: how to spot and report it

Animal Plant Health Agency

February 23
16:59 2024

Bluetongue is a notifiable disease that is mainly spread by biting midges.

Bluetongue affects:

  • sheep
  • cattle
  • other ruminants such as deer and goats
  • camelids such as llamas and alpacas

Rarely, bluetongue can affect dogs and other carnivores if they eat infected material (such as aborted material and afterbirth).

It does not affect people or food safety, but outbreaks can result in prolonged animal movement and trade restrictions.

Latest situation and disease control zones

There are 118 bluetongue cases in England on 69 premises in 4 counties. There are 112 cases in cattle and 6 cases in sheep. There is still no evidence that bluetongue virus is currently circulating in midges in Great Britain. We remain in a seasonally vector low period.

Update 19 February: temporary control zones lifted

From noon on Monday 19 February the temporary control zones (TCZs) in Kent, Norfolk and parts of Suffolk were lifted. Positive high-risk animals will remain under restriction as well as premises in the zones which have not yet been sampled. APHA has contacted all livestock keepers in the former zones to discuss what this means for them.

Finddetails of all current and historical bluetongue disease control zones in England, including rules you must follow in these areas.

Bluetongue disease control zones

There are no current bluetongue control zones in force. Some animals at premises in south and east England remain under specific bluetongue restrictions.

Types of bluetongue virus

A number of different types (serotypes) of bluetongue virus (BTV) are circulating in Europe including:

  • BTV-1
  • BTV-3
  • BTV-4
  • BTV-8

In Great Britain, bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV-3) has been found in Kent, Suffolk and Norfolk.

Finddetails of all bluetongue disease control zones in England, including rules you must follow in these areas.

Bluetongue has been reported in a number of European countries. Go to thecurrentoutbreak assessmentsand thetopical issues pagefor more detail.

You should discuss the risks ofimporting stock fromBTVaffected countrieswith your vet.

Movement licences

You can only move animals onto or off a bluetongue restricted premises if you meet licence conditions.

Specific movement licences

You can apply for a specific movement licence to move animals on and off premises which are under bluetongue restrictions.

The application guidance includes:

  • how to apply for a specific licence
  • the types of movements covered by specific licences
  • slaughterhouses that accept animals fromTCZs

General movement licences

There are no general licences currently in force for bluetongue as the temporary control zones have been lifted.

Surveillance visits in temporary control zones

APHA is carrying out surveillance visits on premises with susceptible animals in the temporary control zones. This includes zoos and wildlife centres.

On a surveillance visit, they will:

  • check records
  • inspect susceptible animals and may take blood samples

Lambs and kids under 12 weeks and calves under 7 days old will be inspected. They will only be sampled if the dam tests positive.

APHA will contact you in advance to schedule a visit and confirm stock numbers. You must assist APHA with sampling by:

  • gathering up the animals
  • providing handling facilities for safe sampling

If your animal tests positive, APHA will notify you within 48 hours of taking samples. This will be before they make the case public.

Most infected animals will not be culled when the risk of disease spreading through midges is low. Instead you will need to restrict infected animals at their locations and take disease mitigation measures. If infected animals are culled to reduce the risk of disease transmission you will receive compensation.

If a case of bluetongue is confirmed on your premises, APHA will also:

  • check any unsampled animals you own at all locations (even if they are outside of the TCZ)
  • monitor negative animals and retest them if needed
  • test offspring of positive animals
  • place all other susceptible animals at the affected premises under movement restrictions until they can confirm that no transmission has occurred
  • trace and sample any animals moved from the holding where any positive animals were

APHA will not notify you of negative results. If you have not received notification within a week, you can assume results are negative.

Signs of bluetongue

If you keep livestock, you must continue to keep a close watch for, and report, any suspicion of bluetongue disease in your animals.

In sheep

Sheep are more likely to show obvious clinical signs of bluetongue than cattle if they become infected. Signs of bluetongue in sheep include:

  • ulcers or sores in the mouth and nose
  • discharge from the eyes or nose and drooling from mouth
  • swelling of the lips, tongue, head and neck and the coronary band (where the skin of the leg meets the horn of the foot)

Other clinical signs include:

  • red skin as a result of blood collecting beneath the surface
  • fever
  • lameness
  • breathing problems
  • abortion, foetal deformities and stillbirths
  • death

In lambs

Lambs can become infected with bluetongue before birth if the dam is infected while pregnant. Signs of infection include:

  • lambs born small, weak, deformed or blind
  • death of lambs within a few days of birth
  • stillbirths

Livestock keepers and vets should consider bluetongue as a possible cause and report suspicion to APHA immediately.

In cattle

Signs of the disease include:

  • lethargy
  • crusty erosions around the nostrils and muzzle
  • redness of the mouth, eyes, nose
  • reddening of the skin above the hoof
  • nasal discharge
  • reddening and erosions on the teats
  • fever
  • milk drop
  • not eating
  • abortion, foetal deformities and stillbirths

Adult cattle may serve as a source of virus for several weeks while displaying little or no clinical signs of disease and are often the preferred host for insect vectors.

In calves

Calves can become infected with bluetongue before birth if the mother is infected while pregnant. Signs of infection include:

  • calves born small, weak, deformed or blind
  • death of calves within a few days of birth
  • stillbirths

Livestock keepers and vets should consider bluetongue as a possible cause and report suspicion to the APHA immediately.

Photos of clinical signs

There are photos showing the clinical signs of bluetongue on Flickr.

Report suspected bluetongue

If you suspect bluetongue, you must report it immediately by calling:

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