Bluetongue Alert in Sardinia: 100 outbreaks in September

"We vaccinated, thinking we'd get better results. But there are still deaths and miscarriages, and the disease always recurs." Matteo Spada is a farmer from Donori. His bitter reflection comes from Videolina: he spoke while his sheep are dying from bluetongue, which, given the numbers, seems to be rampant in Sardinia even in 2025.

The data comes from the national veterinary epidemiological bulletin: in September alone, in 20 days, 100 outbreaks were recorded across almost the entire island. The upper Gallura and Sassari areas have so far remained unaffected. About twenty cases were confirmed two days ago, on September 18th, in Ottana, Orotelli, Sarule, and Sedilo. In August, there were 76 infections, compared to just 14 the previous month.

The bluetongue virus has begun to spread. Since the beginning of the year, a total of 69,029 flocks have been affected. Of those infected, 4,761 have been infected, only 24 have recovered, and 893 have died—and already been destroyed. One in five of the affected sheep dies.

The first outbreak of the summer was recorded in early July, in Onanì: "There's no cause for alarm," said the regional health councilor, Armando Bartolazzi, "an isolated case, attributable to sporadic refractoriness that doesn't raise any epidemiological concerns since it occurred within a fully vaccinated flock and fully immune to the detected isotype. The situation in Sardinia is fully under control," he assured.

This year's numbers are still far from last year's: in 2024, 2,708 outbreaks were recorded in September alone. But in July, there were just 48.