Vaccine against bluetongue available, veterinarians will quickly start vaccinations

NOS News•today, 00:05

Sheep and cattle may now be vaccinated with the vaccine against bluetongue. This was decided by outgoing Minister Adema after the green light from the Veterinary Medicines Agency and the Committee on the Authorization of Veterinary Medicines, two important advisory bodies.

It is expected that one million doses of vaccines will be available in the Netherlands within a few days to a week. Two weeks later, another delivery of one million vaccines will follow.

“The recent period has been terrible for both the animals infected with the bluetongue virus and the keepers of these animals,” the Minister of Agriculture wrote in a letter to the House of Representatives. Adema is “very pleased that a safe and effective vaccine is now available with which livestock farmers can protect their animals”.

Farming trade organization LTO is also pleased with the approval of the vaccine. “It is fantastic news,” says Saskia Duives, chairman of the sheep farming group. “We expected it to come much later. We were also very afraid that as temperatures rise, the mosquitoes that spread the disease would start flying again and that we would have a new outbreak.” In the letter to Parliament, Adema also mentions the tension in which many livestock farmers were feeling about a possible new revival of the virus.

The LTO also expected that a second outbreak would be much more severe than the first. “We held our hearts. When the news came, I did a happy dance on my desk. This was the best news we have had in a very long time.” According to Duives, vaccinations can be done so quickly that no more animals will become seriously ill.

This farmer became angry last autumn when he talked about his situation during a visit by the King and Minister Adema. He lost dozens of sheep to bluetongue:

King visits emotional farmer

There are around one million sheep in the Netherlands, and one dose of vaccine is required per sheep. For optimal protection, cattle should be vaccinated twice, with a period of several weeks in between.

Last year, sheep farmers pushed for the authorization of a South African vaccine, but Adema had his doubts and decided not to authorize that vaccine.

The vaccine that has now been approved was produced by the Spanish pharmaceutical company Syva. It is expected that more doses will be produced by the pharmaceutical company and that another vaccine will also come onto the market. The vaccines are supplied to wholesalers, where veterinarians can purchase them. They then make an appointment with the livestock farmers to vaccinate the animals.

The bluetongue virus is spread by midges, a type of small mosquito. Bluetongue mainly affects sheep. The virus gives them a high fever, swelling and a blue tongue. About three-quarters of sheep that contract the disease do not survive. According to the LTO, this concerns 55,000 sheep and 1,000 cattle that have died from the disease so far.

In cattle, the disease manifests itself as fever, inflamed mucous membranes in the nose and mouth, sores on the udders and swelling of the legs. This can cause them to become lame, but they usually survive the disease.

Outgoing minister Adema hopes that the vaccine will put an end to the misery in the stables. He is happy with the “hard work” by the parties involved. “Veterinarians are now starting vaccinations as soon as possible, so that the animals and keepers can hopefully have a quiet summer.”

Sheep were found dead in hundreds of places in the country last year. Reporter Danny Simons visited a sheep breeder in Oosterwolde:

Bluetongue virus is spreading