What is the maximum and average distance a midge infected with bluetongue disease can travel?
From initial studies it is estimated that a midge can travel up to 1.5 – 2 km a day. Depending on the weather, midges can be carried more than 200 km over water masses. There is a Bluetongue Control Zone and a Bluetongue Protection Zone in England. Vaccination Currently, no vaccines are suitable against the outbreak of BTV8 in Northern Europe. ALAN BEAT’S VIEW Bluetongue has the potential to be far more damaging to smallholding than either FMD or Avian flu. It is often fatal, killing up to 50% of sheep infected, sometimes 70%, and during the current epidemic in Europe has killed some cattle as well. It is also more likely to become endemic, posing long-term animal welfare issues. Slaughter and movement bans have both proved ineffective in controlling the disease, so vaccination is seen as the only realistic solution. However the vaccine is strain-specific, and none exists against the BTV-8 strain now affecting the UK. So, in a breathtaking display of hypocrisy, the NFU is clamouring fo
