Brussels, 16/01/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 16 January, Markos Kyprianou, the European commissioner for health, announced that he would be providing funding for Community budget co-funding as part of the cattle vaccination campaign against ovine bluetongue disease. During a conference in Brussels on vaccination against this disease, Mr Kyprianou stated: “My services have agreed with those of Commissioner Fischer-Boel that Community agricultural funds will be made available to reimburse member states' expenditure in relation to an emergency vaccination campaign in 2008”.
In principle, 100% of the costs of the purchase of the vaccine, and 50% of the costs of the application of the vaccine, will be covered by the Community budget, subject to certain ceilings for these operational costs. Vaccination is regarded as one of the most effective ways of controlling and even eradicating bluetongue disease.
Bluetongue is a viral disease transmitted by the Culicoides midge. There are 24 different serotypes recorded in the world. Species linked to this epizooty are domestic and wild ruminants (ovine, bovine and caprine). This disease does not affect human beings and is therefore of no danger to consumers. Up until 1998, bluetongue was considered as an exotic disease located in the tropics. It then appeared in the South of Europe (Greece, Italy, Spain and Corsica) where several serotypes were identified (1, 2, 4, 9 and 16). A new serotype, serotype 8 appeared in 2006 in the North of Europe (Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and mainland France) and spread broadly throughout Community territory (11 EU member states were affected last year). (L.C.)