Blue tongue in Sardinia: 2,000 outbreaks and 8,000 dead livestock

Almost 2,000 bluetongue outbreaks in Sardinia killed 8,500 sheep out of 65,259 cases. This is shown by the data provided by the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Sardinia. The epidemic has also spread on the island due to the lack of a vaccine authorised by the Ministry of Health for serotype 3, which is currently the most widespread in Sardinian territories. The most critical situation is in the Oristano province, where the Animal Health Service has designated the entire provincial territory a zone of circulation of the BTV3 virus, imposing a ban on animal movement except in cases of necessity and under veterinary supervision. Enrico Vacca, director of the Animal Health Service of the ASL 5, characterises this as one of the most severe outbreaks of the blue tongue virus in the last twenty years. Although the mortality rate remains low on farms, with an increase from 0.5 to 0.7% only, significant economic losses have been observed due to the high number of abortions that result in drastic reductions in milk production in sheep.