The disease is spreading faster than expected, partly due to the mild winter and favorable climate for the midges that transmit the virus. The increased infection rate was only discovered after extensive sampling among herds, which showed that seven out of ten farms had infections without realizing it.
The reason this high number of infections is only now being established is because symptoms are not always immediately visible and some animals carry the virus without clear signs of illness. Moreover, initial testing was only conducted on animals showing symptoms, causing a large proportion of infections to go unnoticed earlier.
The Danish government has now implemented stricter control measures, such as mandatory testing and transport restrictions in infected areas. Farmers are taking additional precautions, like using insect repellents and adjusting grazing patterns to reduce exposure to midges.
An important development is the recent approval of two new vaccines against bluetongue. An expert panel gave these vaccines a positive assessment, making them now widely available to livestock farmers. This is seen as a crucial step in combating the disease and limiting economic damage.
Despite the approval of the vaccines, uncertainty remains about how quickly the vaccination campaign can be rolled out. There are concerns about the availability of sufficient doses and the logistics of administration. Farmers are encouraged to vaccinate their animals as soon as the vaccines become available.
Experts emphasize that continuous monitoring and a rapid response to new cases remain necessary to prevent further spread.