New outbreaks of bluetongue have occurred in Lombardy, Calabria, and Piedmont, representing the most affected regions in the Italian peninsula. Meanwhile, the epidemic continues to spread in Sardinia. The island has experienced over 2100 outbreaks resulting in the loss of nearly 9,000 sheep, as indicated by data from the Sardinian Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute. The Veterinary Organisational Unit of the Regional Welfare Directorate of the Lombardy Region has identified 56 outbreaks of bluetongue in sheep farms and 7 in cattle farms. In Calabria, approximately 50 outbreaks have been reported, resulting in the deaths of roughly 2,000 animals. A hundred outbreaks and as many fatalities were also recorded in Piedmont, with confirmed cases even in Aosta Valley.
The socio-economic consequences of bluetongue are significant, with impacts extending beyond the veterinary sphere. The disease directly affects livestock, including clinical cases of mortality in sheep and production losses in cattle. Additionally, restrictions on animal movements have resulted in commercial damage. Bluetongue is not a transmissible disease to humans and does not present any safety concerns about food derived from susceptible species, whether domestic or wild.
