Bluetongue kills 10 animals on three farms

Three sheep and goat farms in the Nicosia and Limassol districts have been affected by bluetongue, with 46 animals infected and 10 deaths recorded so far, veterinary services director Christodoulos Pipis said on Thursday. Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, Pipis warned that the disease could spread further because it is transmitted by small biting midges, whose movements cannot be fully controlled. However, he stressed that bluetongue poses no risk to human health. Pipis explained that bluetongue differs from foot-and-mouth disease in terms of how it is managed, with the two diseases falling under different classifications. Foot-and-mouth disease is classified as a Category A disease, while bluetongue is not. The main preventive measure is vaccination against the relevant bluetongue serotypes, although farmers can choose whether to vaccinate their animals. Other measures include the use of insect repellents and installing fine-mesh screens on windows and other openings to prevent midges from entering animal housing. Pipis said products from infected animals posed no health risk to consumers, although production could decline as a result of the disease. He added that bluetongue can be fatal, depending on an animal’s overall health, nutritional status and immune system, but stressed that not all infected animals would die.