Bluetongue News and Events in the EU

Bluetongue outbreaks are of economic importance losses are as a direct results of animals that are infected but also through trade restrictions imposed in an attempt to control the spread of the disease. Read about outbreaks and relevant events.

First Batch of Bovilis BTV8 Bluetongue Vaccine Released in Europe

April 2008

Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health released at the end of April its first batch of Bovilis BTV8 bluetongue vaccine for sheep and cattle, fulfilling orders from a number of northern European countries. "We put great effort into the development of our safe and efficacious Bovilis BTV8 vaccine to meet the urgent need as quickly as possible, and we are pleased that production is on track so that we are able to deliver the first amounts of vaccine before the actual start of the 'midge season,'" said Ruurd Stolp, senior vice president and president, Animal Health. Reuters reported on delivery of 1 million doses of the vaccine to Britain. "I am very pleased with the rapid progress that Intervet has made to develop and produce this new vaccine ahead of schedule and in a very tight timescale," Farm Minister Hilary Benn said. In addition to a press briefing, an event to celebrate the launch was held for colleagues. Stolp emphasized that without the strong combined effort of colleagues, including those from Cologne, Germany and Salamanca, Spain, it would not have been possible to make the vaccine available in advance of midge season. About 100 colleagues from all functions were involved with the vaccine, which was developed in about 20 months.

Bluetongue control, a new challenge for Europe

March 2008

Delegates at the Bluetongue symposium

Bluetongue, its development and spread throughout Europe, and control strategies, were amongst the topics on the agenda at a recent symposium organised by the University of Liege with Prof Thiry and bluetongue vaccine manufacturer, Intervet/Schering Plough.

Experts from many European countries gathered in Brussels to reveal the scale of the infection and share their experiences and learnings from the northward spread of the bluetongue virus (BTV) seen over the past two years.

Until fairly recently considered an exotic disease, the rapid northward spread of bluetongue from southern Europe to endemic proportions was at the forefront of many delegates’ minds. The scale of the infection – more than 50,000 cases in the EU in 2007 – and the consequences for farmers in Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany and France were revealed. While there are different serotypes of the bluetongue disease, serotype 8 (that found in northern Europe) seems to be more virulent than others, causing high mortality and morbidity in sheep.  It is also more severe for cattle, leading to a drop in milk yield of up to 40% in some infected cows.

Attendees from bluetongue-affected countries all agreed that because vector transfer and livestock movements have both been implicated in the spread of the virus, vaccination and vector control, alongside enhanced biosecurity, were the most effective disease management strategies.

The rapid development of an inactivated vaccine by Intervet/Schering Plough (Bovilis BTV8), which should be available for use in May this year, should, according to the experts, see a considerable reduction in the number of new cases. The company has succeeded in developing and producing its vaccine in just two years, which is considerably less than the time such a complex process normally takes.

It was highlighted, using an example from Spain where disease eradication had been achieved, that at least 80% of susceptible species must be vaccinated. This could lead to eradication of the disease, but widespread compliance is critical; at least 80% of all farmed animals must be vaccinated, although nearer 100% is desirable as the wild animal population will also provide a possible source of virus for midges. Trial work from Germany has highlighted the ability of a deltamethrin-based insecticide (Butox 7.5 pour on – Intervet/Schering Plough) applied to the back of livestock to migrate to the areas favoured by midges (the legs and belly) and kill midges for up to 28 days after application. The work showed that the use of a deltamethrin insecticide is of value when combined with vaccination.

Intervet to supply French government with a minimum quantity of 27 million doses of Bluetongue vaccine

Angers, February 29, 2008 – Today, Intervet received an official order of the Department for Agriculture and Fishery, France, to supply inactivated vaccine against Bluetongue, serotype 8.

Intervet is working intensively to supply the Bovilis BTV8 vaccine to France as soon as possible, to support the French government and farming sector in its fight against this devastating disease.

As the global leader in the development and supply of vaccines to support animal health and welfare, Intervet has been actively working on this virus since its emergence in Northern Europe in 2006 and developed a vaccine against Bluetongue serotype 8 in a very short time to meet the urgent need as quickly as possible. Intervet already received firm orders from the UK and the Netherlands. Intervet is currently optimizing the production process and is doing the utmost to speed up the first deliveries for mid-spring.

The vaccine has been developed for sheep and for cattle. While sheep need to be vaccinated once, cattle will need two vaccinations. The Bluetongue control strategy and vaccine purchase and supply are defined by the national authorities.

Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Safety orders 6 million doses of Bluetongue vaccine

Boxmeer, 25 January 2008
The Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Safety ordered 6 million doses of Bluetongue vaccine from Intervet today. The ministry decided on Intervet after an invitation to tender was sent out. Delivery of the first million vaccines is planned for May.

BTV serotype-8 vaccine developed by Intervet

16 January 2008 - Intervet International bv, part of Schering-Plough Corporation, has developed a vaccine against Bluetongue serotype 8, for sheep and cattle. The vaccine has been taken into production now. Intervet is aiming to deliver the first quantities of vaccine in May.

“We can now provide a safe and efficacious vaccine helping to fight this devastating disease”, says Paul van Aarle, Director Institutional Sales of Intervet. “We are currently optimizing the production process and we expect to have more insight in the overall production capacities by March.”

The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), already placed an order with Intervet to supply 22.5 million doses of Bluetongue vaccine. Intervet’s Bluetongue vaccine recently gained a temporary license in France. Based on this license, other member states of the European Union can allow usage of the vaccine to control the disease. 

As the global leader in the development and supply of vaccines to support animal health and welfare, Intervet has been actively working on a vaccine against this virus since its emergence in Northern Europe in 2006 to meet the urgent need as quickly as possible.

The vaccine has been developed for sheep and for cattle. While sheep need to be vaccinated only once, cattle will need two vaccinations. The Bluetongue control strategy and vaccine purchase and supply are defined by the national authorities.

Intervet wins UK Bluetongue vaccine tender

Animal-Pharm , December 20, 2007

Intervet has won a contract to supply the UK government with Bluetongue vaccine. The company was one of three to participate in a tender process begun in November. The others were Fort Dodge and Merial.

Intervet will supply 22.5 million doses of vaccine for the BTV8 strain of Bluetongue, which is currently circulating in England. The company said it would most likely produce the vaccine at its plant in Cologne, Germany, and that the vaccine would be available in early summer 2008.

The UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said it would offer farmers the chance to buy vaccine from a vaccine bank as early as possible. This should help control the impact of Bluetongue, DEFRA said, and make it possible to ease movement restrictions on vaccinated animals.

The department is holding talks with scientific experts and representatives of the farming industry to plan its vaccination strategy for Bluetongue.

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FILED 20 December 2007 COPYRIGHT Informa UK Ltd 2007