Sweden reports two outbreaks of bluetongue virus

Sweden has reported two outbreaks of bluetongue disease on cattle farms in the southern part of the country, according to Reuters, which cited the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and Swedish authorities on Monday. Bluetongue can be deadly for domestic ruminants such as sheep, cattle and goats. A new variant of the disease, the BTV3 virus, has been circulating in northern Europe since late last year, leading to vaccination campaigns in affected countries including France. The first Swedish outbreak was detected on a dairy farm with 59 animals in the town of Uddevalla. A single cow was affected with reduced milk production and intermittent lethargy, the report says. Another outbreak, in the town of Laholm, was detected on a beef ...