Iraq announces elimination of bluetongue disease
A veterinarian holding a sheep. Photo: AFP
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Agriculture Ministry’s veterinary department announced on Sunday the elimination of the bluetongue disease.
The director of the veterinary department, Thamer Al-Khafaji, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that there is no import or export of meat between Iraq and China.
Al-Khafaji’s remarks come after China announced that it imposed a ban on the direct and indirect import of ruminant animals and their products from Baghdad.
According to the Iraqi official, the illness first appeared in November 2023. A committee was then established to manage the illness, and samples were sent to labs to confirm infection.
Al-Khafaji confirmed the elimination of bluetongue disease, pointing out that there had been no cases reported in January.
The Chinese General Administration of Customs said last week that China has prohibited the direct and indirect import of ruminants and associated products from Iraq due to a bluetongue disease epidemic.
The Chinese authority explained that the action was taken in response to a report sent by Iraq to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) following the discovery of the disease in sheep, according to Reuters.
The virus causes fever, oral ulcers, and, in rare cases, a blue tongue in animals. The disease caused China to restrict similar imports from Belgium and the Netherlands.
Sheep and cows are particularly vulnerable to the disease.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, bluetongue is an arthropod-borne, non-contagious infectious disease of domestic and wild non-African ruminants.
Under field conditions, the causative agent, bluetongue virus (BTV), is typically transmitted by biting midges following a bite to consume a blood meal from susceptible animals.