Portugal reports outbreak of bluetongue disease on sheep farm

Paris: Portugal has reported an outbreak of bluetongue disease on a sheep farm, the World Organisation for Animal Health said on Wednesday, citing Portuguese authorities.

Bluetongue can be deadly for domestic ruminants such as sheep, cattle and goats. A new variant of the disease, the BTV3 virus, has been circulating in Europe since late last year, leading to vaccination campaigns in affected countries including France.

The outbreak was detected on a sheep farm with 157 animals in the town of Torre dos Coelheiros. Some 15 sheep were affected by the virus and a single one died of it, the report says.