Switzerland to vaccinate cattle and sheep against blue tongue disease in summer 2008

Switzerland will give cattle and sheep a vaccine against blue tongue diseasethis summer,,to prevent the loss of blue tongue disease to the Swiss livestock industry, Swiss media reported
ThursdayThe Swiss Federal Veterinary Service convened a meeting of representatives of the Agricultural Association and the Veterinary Department in Bern on the 18th toto study measures to prevent blue tongue diseaselast year, 1,
200 cattle in thein northern Switzerland contracted blue tongue disease, the first time in SwitzerlandParticipants believed that the blue tongue disease outbreak in Switzerland was likely to be more serious this year, and it was recommended that cattle and sheep be vaccinatedLast year, blue tongue disease also occurred in European countries such as France
Germany
,Belgium
, the Netherlands
Denmark and Luxembourg The European Commission said on the 16th that this year will fund member states to carry out blue tongue vaccination work, the total cost of the purchase of vaccines and 50% of the cost of vaccination will be covered by the EU agricultural budget funds The blue tongue virus is transmitted by blood-sucking insects such as the Aedes aegypti mosquito, mainly causing the disease of ruminants The symptoms of blue tongue disease are high fever
, mucosal edema, ulcers and other , and the fatality rate is 2
0% to 30% To date, the blue tongue virus has not been found to be contagious to humans