Swiss animals can be vaccinated against bluetongue

Swiss animals can be vaccinated against bluetongue Keystone-SDA

In Switzerland, cattle and sheep can be vaccinated against bluetongue and the vaccine can be imported. Although the vaccination does not protect the animals against the mosquito-borne disease, it can mitigate the severity.

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The Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) issued a general ruling on the use of the vaccine in consultation with the regulatory authority Swissmedic. This is according to a statement issued by the FSVO on Thursday.

The order was issued because, according to the press release, action is urgent as more cases of the disease appear on livestock farms. Vaccination is currently the best way to prevent fatalities. It is recommended, but is voluntary and must be paid for by livestock owners.

The vaccine available is for bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV-3), which is particularly harmful to sheep.

Translated from German by DeepL/jdp

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