Four sheep in Limburg have succumbed to bluetongue disease, with around 30 others now quarantined, according to a recent report in Het Belang van Limburg.
The deadly disease, first noted at the Herkenrode Abbey near Hasselt last Sunday, is under investigation by public health institute Sciensano to identify the exact viral strain.
Bluetongue fever, a viral disease spread by small insects, affects numerous ruminants and can be fatal to sheep and cattle. There has been a recent surge in cases in the Netherlands.
Humans are immune to bluetongue, Sciensano stressed. However, the disease has significant economic repercussions, especially impacting export and intra-community movements of live animals and animal products as it is a notifiable disease.
