The 'Schmallenberg virus'. A new livestock disease hits European livestock.

                                       Picture source : Diatribes Of A Veterinarian.

The 'Schmallenberg virus' .A new livestock disease hits European livestock.(E24/7).A new livestock disease causing deformities at birth has been detected in at least five European countries, including the Netherlands and Germany, a Dutch agriculture ministry spokesman said Thursday.The Schmallenberg virus was also spotted in Germany, Belgium and Britain.France also reported its first case on Thursday.So far, cases of disease have been detected in 20 farms in Germany (in cattle and sheep), in 52 farms in the Netherlands (in sheep, and one case in goat), and in 14 farms in Belgium (in sheep, only). No clear geographical clusters of these cases has been shown, so far. This may suggest that the undetected subclinical cases of infection in ruminants may be many more,but the current lack of serological tests renders epidemiological investigations difficult.
Although the congenital malformation in newborn animals have been detected recently and
are still being detected in these days, they are most likely caused by transmission of virus by
insect vectors that occurred in summer and early autumn, during pregnancy.
Named after the German town where it was first detected in November, Schmallenberg affected 51 German farms mainly in the North Rhine-Westphalia state, the German Friedrich-Loeffler Institute for animal health research said.
Across the border in eastern France authorities said Schmallenberg had been detected for the first time on a sheep farm in Lorraine and suspect cases elsewhere were being investigated.
The disease, believed to be carried by gnats, causes fever and diarrhoea among adult animals and cannot be transmitted from one animal to another, said Gelinck. There is presently no vaccine for Schmallenberg.
There is no evidence that the Schmallenberg virus could cause illness in humans.The disease however can be transmitted to sheep, goat and cattle embryos leading to still births or deformities causing death soon after birth, the spokesman said The Member States and the Commission took note of the preliminary assessment carried out by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on the zoonotic risks of the Schmallenberg virus which indicates that "it is unlikely that this virus can cause disease in humans, but it cannot be completely excluded at this stage.The Member States and the Commission recognise that the information on the Schmallenberg virus is still fragmented and mostly extrapolated from data available on genetically similar viruses in the Orthobunyaviridae genus (Simbu serogroup, like the Akabane virus). The situation needs to be reassessed once new data will be available. Awareness should be improved amongst veterinary services and stakeholders in order to better understand and address the possible risks associated with this virus.Given that this virus is likely transmitted by means of insect vectors, further virus circulation in the current winter is unlikely to occur. This will allow Member States time to gather further data and to plan further actions in view of a possible reoccurrence of disease in Spring and Summer..Dutch farmers have been ordered to report all birth deformities to authorities since December 20.Moscow in mid-January suspended sheep and goat imports from the Netherlands because of the disease. Read more here . here and here.