Self-declaration by France on the recovery of its bluetongue-free status throughout the mainland (excluding Corsica)

摘要

Bluetongue serotype 8 was identified for the first time on 30 August 2006 in the north-east of France. Following a quiet period, the disease reappeared in July 2007 in the form of an epizootic, spreading rapidly during 2008. Bluetongue serotype 1 appeared in parallel, in November 2007 in the department of Pyrenees Atlantiques, spreading epizootically in 2008 into the south-west of France and Brittany.In 2008, bluetongue serotypes 1 and 8, respectively, caused 4,831 and 27,409 outbreaks in France.An emergency vaccination plan introduced in 2008, followed by a compulsory vaccination campaign in 2008-2009 throughout mainland France, sharply reduced the number of outbreaks. In 2009, only 83 outbreaks were reported (74 of serotype 8, six of serotype1 and three of serotypes 1 and 8). Three additional vaccination campaigns (compulsory in 2009-2010 and voluntary in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012) finally succeeded in eradicating the disease from mainland France (see Table I).