France confirms first cases of EHD in cattle

28-09-2023 | Health | News

EHD, which is a notifiable disease, infects mostly deer and cattle and to a lesser extent small ruminants. Photo: Henk Risiwick

The French department of agriculture and food sovereignty has confirmed the first cases of Epizootic haemorrhagic disease (EHD) in the country. In the very south-west of France, close to the border with Spain, 3 cattle farms have been infected. Export of live cattle from farms in a zone of 150 km around the infected premises is prohibited. Direct transport for slaughter is not affected.

The infections in France have been confirmed by the national reference laboratory of Maisons-Alfort, part of the national institute for the safety of food and farming Anses.

Epizootic haemorrhagic disease is widely present in North America while there are also cases in Australia, Africa and the Middle-East. In Europe, infections have so far been confirmed in Italy, Portugal and Spain. In Spain, the disease is slowly spreading northwards with the last known case there at some 100 km from the border with France, the department of agriculture in Paris says.

Epizootic haemorrhagic disease, which is a notifiable disease, infects mostly deer and cattle and to a lesser extent small ruminants. The virus is transmitted by insects of the Culicoides type. Clinical signs are very similar to those of bluetongue, including fever, lesions and breathing problems although the mortality is very low. There is currently no vaccine against Epizootic haemorrhagic disease available. The French authorities stress that the disease is not transmittable to humans.