Menorca Sheep Flock Fully โขVaccinatedโ Against Blue Tongue Serotype 8
Menorca, [Date – implied Monday from original text] -โฃ All โฃsheep on โขthe island of โMenorca are now fully vaccinated against โserotype 8 โขof the Blue Tongue virus, thanks toโข a successful eradication program led โคby the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries adn Natural โHabitat of โขthe Balearic Government. This achievement comes as the Ministry announced the launch of a second mandatory vaccinationโ campaign targeting serotype โ8โฃ across all the Balearic Islands โon Monday.
The overall situation regardingโค serotype 8 is positive, with immunity levels within theโ sheep population exceeding the 80% thresholdโ consideredโฃ protective.
“Maintaining the eradication program and implementing โฃstrict requirements for animal entry โคinto our territory allows us to approach the second โขyear โฃof the epidemic with high immunity,” stated Minister joan Simonet.
However, the positive news โคregarding โขserotype 8 is tempered by the recent identification ofโฃ a new โBlue Tongue variant, serotype 3, in Mallorca.minister Simonet and โคFernando Fernรกndez, theโ General Director of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, expressed concern over the reappearance of the disease with this new serotype. A vaccine for serotype 3 is currently available.
Currently, a single โคconfirmed case of serotype 3 has been identified in a โขBunyol sheep farm in Mallorca, affecting a โขflock of 156 animals. Authorities are also monitoring two suspected cases within the โขsame health area, with โคsamples sent toโฃ the โฃNational Laboratory of reference in โฃAlgete for confirmation. โฃThe initialโ detectionโ of theโ virus came โฃthrough routine sampling conducted by the Ministry.