France has started its mandatory emergency vaccination campaign against lumpy skin disease on 20 July, according to veterinary authorities. The vaccination will concern around 285,000 cattle in the protection and surveillance area (50 km around outbreaks). The vaccine used is the OBP lumpy skin disease Onderstepoort South Africa vaccine. Protection of the animals is complete 21 days after a single subcutaneous dose.
Volunteer vets and vet students called to help
If a suspected case of lumpy skin disease is confirmed, all cattle of the farm are immediately euthanised and the farm is disinfected. Volunteer vets and final-year vet students are being recruited into assisting the veterinary services (e.g. testing, vaccinating, euthanasia) in the affected areas. To date, 27 outbreaks have been reported in France.
In Switzerland, too
Although no cases have been reported in neighbouring Switzerland, authorities have announced a vaccination campaign in the canton of Geneva and (part of) the canton of Vaud, which are part of the surveillance zones of the outbreaks in the department of Haute Savoie, France. The Haute Savoie also borders on Italy (Aosta Valley), where veterinary services have called for emergency vaccination.
Vaccination campaign in Sardinia imminent
In Italy, vaccines against LSD have been ordered (300,000 doses) and the start of a three-month vaccination campaign in Sardinia was announced for 21 July. A total of 27 outbreaks have been reported in the country, of which 26 in Sardinia. An EU fact-finding mission at the end of June suggests that the virus may have arrived on the island three months previously.
‘Animal health visits are crucial’
‘Animal health visits, required under the EU animal health law that came into effect in 2021, will help prevent infectious disease outbreaks and enable quicker reporting, limiting their spread,’ said Nancy De Briyne, Executive Officer of the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE). ‘These visits are crucial, as they focus on biosecurity and the early identification of emerging diseases.’
The role of vets is ‘vital’
The role of veterinary practitioners in disease containment is vital, added Volker Moser, President of the Union of European Veterinary Practitioners. ‘Alongside farmers, French, Italian and Swiss vets are fighting against these outbreaks, while their clinical work is adapted to secure teams against risks and maintain optimal quality of care.’ And he agrees that animal health visits are essential. ‘Prevention is better than cure – or culling, in this case.’
©Photo Eric Vidal/EuropeanUnion2018