Comments on: What is bluetongue disease?

By: Bluetongue disease UK outbreak confirmed (Bluetongue disease)

Bluetongue disease UK outbreak confirmed (Bluetongue disease) — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:01:04 +0000

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By: Judi Hewitt

Judi Hewitt — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:39:26 +0000

I’m shocked that there’s no sympathy shown to the animals suffering blue tongue. I found a dead lamb in the Welsh hills this week and he looked like he must have really suffered before he died. Although it might not have been blue tongue that killed him, his tongue was very swollen and looked blistered. It looked to me like he’d pushed his face into the crevice of an old wall, presumably because he was looking for some relief from his pain. I pulled him away then took some pics which I intend using in my next “Wales Against Animal Cruelty [WAAC] newsletter. I’ve also alerted Defra about it!
But please stop thinking of animals in terms of food and profit – it’s inhuman! They have feelings too, though I suppose it takes a certain amount of intelligence to recognise that fact.

By: sri

sri — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 05:55:53 +0000

Is there any pictures available of the infected animals that could be posted so that people could be more aware of the disease and vaccines are given to healthy animals but how well is it going to work on animals already infected?

By: Marielle Ford

Marielle Ford — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 11:06:58 +0000

In South Africa, the same midges cause the dreaded African Horse Sickness which is often fatal and runs for many months through summer. See http://www.africanhorsesickness.co.za

By: Andy Roberts

Andy Roberts — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 11:28:26 +0000

I think the logic goes like this: Bluetongue disease is passed from animal to midge to animal, so if you transported an infected animal into a disease-free region then you could in theory be infecting the local midge population and thus spreading the disease to otherwise healthy stock. The fact that the midges can cover a fair old distance by themselves, possibly even overseas, doesn’t make the situation any better.

By: John Davison

John Davison — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 11:14:34 +0000

Could you please tell me what is the point in DEFRA restricting the movement of cattle & sheep when Blue Tongue disease is not passed from animal to animal ?

By: Andy Roberts

Andy Roberts — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 10:20:47 +0000

Sarah, I’ve heard about the sorry situation of light lambs on the Scottish hillsides, with a proposal to turn them into bio-diesel due to lack of a domestic market. Have they tried the halal slaughter trade I wonder.

I’ve found where on the DEFRA site they list the number of Blue tongue disease cases it’s here:

So as at 5:00pm on 12 October 2007 there were 37 confirmed premises affected by Bluetongue. Foot and Mouth disease latest here:

By: Sarah Wylie

Sarah Wylie — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 23:09:11 +0000

I'm a farmer in central Scotland, and have became increasingly concerned with blue-tongue, as well as foot and mouth...
I have searched the internet and can't find any info on the current number of cases of each, which i think is appalling. Last i heard it was at 24 B-T.
Im curious if anyone knows what the number of cases is, or where i can even find information.
This year's been a devastating year for farming with all the flooding, and now this... never mind us scots not being able to sell our lamb, and that resulted in slaughter of them, losing income.
On top of that sheep farmers are not getting compensation, considering we were promised it! What's purely sheep farmers mean to do, they've lost thousands!

Sorry to rant, just concerned!

By: Andy Roberts

Andy Roberts — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 12:30:42 +0000

Is the meat from animals infected with bluetongue disease safe for human consumption?

Yes it is safe, according to DEFRA.

Bluetongue does not affect humans.

Neither is the disease spread from vertibrate to vertibrate, only by insect bite so there are no restrictions on meat or meat products from bluetongue areas, only movement restrictions for live animals.

By: Micky

Micky — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 02:25:16 +0000

If someone one hunt and eat the meat of a deer that was infected by this bluetongue would they risk getting sick or anything like that.

By: Andy Roberts

Andy Roberts — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 10:44:32 +0000

Well, the subject of midges probably warrants a post to itself but it’s worth posting a quick link to the Scottish “midge forecast”

http://www.midgeforecast.co.uk/

and to say that midges in the North of Scotland are a renowned problem for human tourists, but are at their biggest biting nuisance during the summer months. Global warming has been blamed for the increased spread of midges, rather than adaptation to the cold for which they have already had thousands of years. Midges die off after the first hard frost but unfortunately both the midges and the virus somehow overwinter and return the next season.

See also George Hendry’s book Midges in Scotland

By: Ann Willcocks

Ann Willcocks — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 09:03:26 +0000

I have heard that once an animal is infected an ‘English’ midge could then feed on the infected animal and itself become infected, then off goes the ‘English’ midge and infects more animals. Surely our ‘English’ midges are less susceptible to the cold than their European counterparts? Therefore continuing cases of bluetongue during the year?

By: Andy Roberts

Andy Roberts — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 08:13:23 +0000

From my research it is clear that the bluetongue virus does not infect horses or other equine species, but only ruminants such as sheep, goats, cattle, buffalo, deer, antelope and elk.

However, infected culicoides midges can and do feed on horses, and manure piles are potential breeding sites so horses and stables must be taken into consideration when setting out control measures and restrictions.

By: Chris Nicholson

Chris Nicholson — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 07:50:25 +0000

Can you tell us if horses can contract Bluetongue please ?