Veterinary service orders lockdown due to bluetongue disease in Aargau
Published: Tuesday, Oct 1st 2024, 17:10
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Aargau has taken additional measures due to the outbreak of bluetongue in cattle and sheep in the canton since the beginning of September. The veterinary service imposed a ban on all affected livestock farms from Tuesday.
The bluetongue disease with the so-called serotype 3 is currently spreading rapidly, according to the decree published in the official gazette. Currently, 103 livestock farms are affected, as the veterinary service announced on Tuesday in response to an inquiry from the Keystone-SDA news agency. Around 30 of these concern farms with cows and cattle, the rest sheep farms.
The cases are spread throughout the canton, with Fricktal being the worst affected. Monitoring and control measures have been in place since the first outbreak at the beginning of September. Now the veterinary service is imposing a simple first-degree restriction on the infected herds if bluetongue is detected.
Transmission by mosquitoes
Sick animals may only leave the farm for slaughter. Permission from the cantonal veterinarian is required to move healthy animals to another farm. Bluetongue disease is caused by viruses that are transmitted to the animal via the bite of midges (small mosquitoes). There is no infection from farm animal to farm animal. However, if infected animals are bitten, the midges can infect other animals.
The ban was imposed for 60 days or until the start of the mosquito-free period in winter. The mosquitoes that transmit the disease occur in Aargau mainly from June to the end of November, according to the veterinary service.
Cases in 19 cantons
For the first time since 2020, there have been cases of bluetongue in Switzerland since the end of August. In addition to Aargau, a total of 18 other German-speaking and French-speaking cantons are affected, as the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office writes on its website. According to a list from September 30, the canton of Jura is the most affected with around 150 livestock farms.
©Keystone/SDA
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