Blue Tongue Emergency, Summit in the Region: a Variant Without a Vaccine Is Spreading
Health and Agriculture Councillors Meet with Breeders' Associations: Serotype 3 Hits Hard. Targeted Interventions Ensured
Bluetongue disease is spreading in the Sardinian countryside, with the number of dead sheep in the Oristano area tripling in just one week . And the Region is trying to take action: today a meeting took place between the Health Councilor Armando Bartolazzi, the Agriculture Councilor Gian Franco Satta and the trade associations. Present, in addition to the staff and general managers of the respective departments, were the Commissioner of the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Sardinia (Simonetta Cherchi) and the Director of the Veterinary Service (Daniela Mulas).
Yesterday, however, the managers of the veterinary services of Sardinia had met: the status regarding the spread of the disease, the supply of vaccines in the various facilities and the actions undertaken so far to combat the emergency were clarified.
The picture varies depending on the territory: some with relatively calm situations and others in much more critical conditions, up to the point of emergency.
There is, however, a major complication: the spread of a new serotype, 3, has been detected, which joins the already known 4 and 8. For this variant , the vaccine has not yet been authorized for marketing in Italy. While the vaccines for serotypes 4 and 8, which have long been acquired and are available from the Zooprophylactic Institute, are being regularly distributed.
At the table were the trade associations: Coldiretti, Confagricoltura, Copagri, Agci, Cia and Liberi Agricoltori. They all expressed deep concern but, according to a note from the Region, "they took note of the work done since the current regional council took office, of the commitment but above all, they appreciated the unity of action between the two departments, already in itself an unprecedented mode of action in past administrations". For their part, they reiterated their maximum willingness to make themselves useful for all the actions that will be undertaken, recommending their timeliness and dissemination in terms of communication.
The fundamental need, it is further stated, «is that of a timely communication of epidemiological data on the spread of the virus, and widespread information on all the actions aimed at combating the Blue Tongue».
"In expressing satisfaction for the meeting held, the department will commit to starting a new vaccination policy with regard to BT by sharing the actions to be implemented with the category representatives", said Bartolazzi. For Satta "the inter-departmental approach of health and agriculture together involved in the defense of our primary sector demonstrates the concrete will to promptly plan all the activities connected to the protection of the Region's livestock heritage ".
(Unioneonline/E.Fr.)
