An outbreak of bluetongue detected in the English Channel

An outbreak of bluetongue serotype 3 was confirmed this Friday, November 22, 2024, on a sheep farm in the canton of Pieux (Manche), state services indicate in a press release, this Saturday, November 23, 2024 .

“It follows a clinical suspicion in a ewe presenting symptoms suggestive of the disease”, specifies the prefecture, which recommends to cattle and sheep breeders who have not yet done so to “contact their veterinarians to obtain the necessary doses of vaccines and vaccinate their animals without delay, in order to limit the spread of the disease and minimize the health impact in the herds”.

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Veterinary tests and visits covered

The prefecture also invites all breeders to notify their veterinarian of animals which could present symptoms of the disease, tests such as the veterinary visit being entirely covered by the State.

The epidemic began in the fall of 2023 in the Netherlands, before spreading to Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom then to France, with a first confirmed case of fever on August 5, 2024 in the Northern department. As of November 21, 2024, the disease was present in 46 departments with 7,935 outbreaks recorded. The Channel, placed in “regulated area” since the beginning of September, was the last Norman department unscathed.