Three new infections of bluetongue have been reported in Drenthe. In Dwingeloo, Ruinen and Nijeveen, animals are showing symptoms of the disease, reports the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority.
This brings the number of infections with bluetongue in Drenthe to nine. The disease was previously diagnosed in sheep in Wapse, Ruinerwold, Havelte, Beilen, Zeijen and Pesse.
In 2006, bluetongue was detected for the first time in the Netherlands. This led to an outbreak that lasted until 2008. This year, the first reports of bluetongue came in last September. Since then, the virus has been spreading rapidly. There is currently no vaccination against the bluetongue virus available.
The number of new infections is expected to decrease in the near future. Bluetongue is spread by midges – a small species of mosquito – and they become less active as temperatures drop. It is expected that this variant of bluetongue will reappear after the winter.