Bovine dermatitis, blue tongue, West Nile, and other epidemics. The first affects Sardinia especially, but not only. The others are widespread and aren't just an island problem. Quite the opposite. What's happening? The analysis by Alberto Laddomada, veterinarian, former head of the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute and the task force against swine fever in Sardinia.

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Conspiracy theorists have invented and continue to invent all sorts of stories about bovine eczema and its arrival in Sardinia: some blame the Ukrainian mafia, some imagine diabolical laboratory scientists spending their time developing new viruses and insects to destroy our farmers, some think the eczema is part of a plan to desertify our countryside and make way for wind turbines (when in fact it's the dramatic decline in births combined with new forms of emigration that is depopulating Sardinia's inland areas).

But there's no conspiracy behind bovine dermatitis. Personally, I learned a lot about the problems posed by many infectious diseases in humans and animals when I studied virology in London and Pirbright (the latter town in Surrey is home to one of the world's most prestigious institutes for the study of animal diseases) about 35 years ago, even though knowledge at the time was less advanced than it is today.

I learned first that the distinction between "animal viruses" and "human viruses" is very subtle and fragile, if not nonexistent, due to the frequency with which many viruses are transmitted from animals to humans and vice versa; and that many viruses can be capable of very rapid changes when they infect a new species, different from those they previously infected. And that some viruses are much more capable of these "changes" than others: the bovine eczema virus, for example, is quite "stable" (but no less dangerous).

And I understood much better the danger posed by those diseases that were later defined as emerging diseases.

What are these emerging diseases? This is the definition given by the World Organization for Animal Health: "A new infection resulting from the evolution or change of an existing pathogen, a known infection spreading to a new geographic area or population, or a previously unrecognized pathogen or disease diagnosed for the first time and having a significant impact on animal or public health."

This definition may be considered overly complex, I admit, and it might be worth reading it a few times to fully understand. But unfortunately , we are facing complex issues that cannot be oversimplified; and at the same time, the risks posed by these diseases can be extremely serious— consider the many millions of deaths caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, caused by a virus that "jumped" from animals to humans.

The origin and/or spread of emerging diseases (such as, as we'll see, bovine eczema) are not due to obscure conspiracies, but rather to the climate changes we're all now witnessing, the disruption of ecosystems (with a constantly growing global population, especially in some countries), new livestock farming practices, and the ever-increasing trade and movement of people, animals, and products around the world. This global trend is very difficult to halt.

A typical example of an emerging disease likely due to climate change is bluetongue, better known as blue tongue. In Italy, it was once classified as an "exotic disease," found only in tropical countries and therefore not directly affecting us. However, it is now firmly endemic throughout the Mediterranean basin and increasingly common in Central and Northern Europe. For example, look at the map showing bluetongue outbreaks in Italy in 2025 alone: it has now spread everywhere, even near the Alps; and in many other European countries, the situation is similar: it's nothing like a vaccine-induced spread or a conspiracy against Sardinia!

Another example of an emerging disease is West Nile Fever, which, previously absent from Europe, has been causing health problems for humans and animals (horses) in particular humid areas for several years; in Sardinia, in the Oristano area.

And bovine eczema is another example of an emerging disease, having increasingly spread from Africa to the Middle East, Asia, and Europe over the past twenty years. Unfortunately, it has recently arrived in Sardinia and France. We still don't know how it got there, and this limits our ability to decide on the most appropriate preventive measures to take to better protect ourselves from similar risks in the future.

In any case , these are complex problems that cannot be solved with easy solutions like "let's block the ports" or something similar.

However, one thing is certain: what we lack, or even greatly lack, is the awareness and training of political and health authorities, doctors and veterinarians, agricultural technicians, breeders and other operators in the agri-food chain, and citizens in general.

Faced with complex issues with significant media and political impact, without adequate awareness and training—one that is tailored to each individual's role and responsibilities— there will always be room for disinformers, snake charmers, conspiracy theorists, and various agitators, who will only slow down and hinder our ability to respond to these diseases: the example of bovine dermatitis in Sardinia is a clear example.

Alberto Laddomada

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