New seasonal control measures for bluetongue virus
Defra has announced a seasonally ‘vector low’ period when midge activity is much lower, leading to some changes to disease control measures for bluetongue virus (BTV-3).
BTV-3 is the new strain of virus currently being found in northern Europe and UK. The virus is mainly transmitted via biting midges and affects cattle, goats, sheep and camelids, such as llamas.