Livestock farmers in the UK will again face the risk of bluetongue infecting their herds from 21 April, writes Pallab Ghosh, BBC News science correspondent.
Government scientists have studied the lifecycle of the midges that transmit the disease, and have developed a map that predicts how the disease will spread across England and Wales during 2008.
They suggest that farms in Kent will be the first to be at risk, from 21 April – this is before government vets will have access to a vaccine, which will not be available until the end of May.
From the source:
Defra bluetongue information
Meanwhile, Earth Times (link) reports that the German government has taken the decision to vaccinate its herds against bluetongue, which has been spreading north from the Mediterranean region.
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