This disease is not transmitted to humans, so there is no need to worry about it. In addition, it affects neither the quality of meat nor that of milk. But its consequences for herds can be heavy: fever, skin lesions, swollen ganglia, loss of milk … and in 10 % of cases, death.
According to the Federal Food Chain Safety Agency (AFSCA), “This disease kills little, but has a very heavy impact on the economy and on animal welfare“.
To stop its progression, France has started a series of drastic measures in accordance with European directives: slaughter of all animals in infected homes, restriction of travel within a perimeter of 50 km, prohibition of export, and launch of a compulsory vaccination campaign in risk areas.
More than 280,000 French cattle are affected and blockages have been organized by unions opposed to systematic slaughter, such as the peasant confederation.
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Reinforced vigilance in Belgium
In Belgium, no case has been detected to date. But AFSCA closely follows the evolution of the epidemic: “Thanks to the epidemiological survey, we know that no cattle from the current surveillance area in France has entered Belgium“, she says. The agency nevertheless calls breeders to increased alertness and recalls that the disease is compulsory. Once declared, a household leads to the immediate implementation of a 50 km protection zone around the farm concerned, with a ban on any animal movement.
While the disease is present in Africa, Asia and Russia, the last European household in this disease dates from 2019 to Montenegro, which underlines, according to AFSCA, “the importance of the rapid surveillance, notification and traceability of animals“. According to the World Animal Health Organization, the propagation of the DNC to the North could be partly linked to global warming which would facilitate the movement and survival of transmitter insects of the virus.
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Do not vaccinate too early
“This disease is scary because management measures are far from trivial for breeders“, Summarizes Thomas Demonty, advisor to the Walloon Federation of Agriculture (FWA). The agricultural union sent a letter to the Minister of Agriculture to request a series of preventive measures. But no anticipated vaccination at this stage:”Vaccinating now would make no sense, as it would lead to the same movement restrictions as if the herd was infected. Indeed, current tests do not allow the difference between antibodies linked to natural infection and those induced by the vaccine. That said, everything must be ready to be able to launch a vaccination campaign within 24 to 48 hours if the situation requires it“, insisting the FWA.
Even without a Belgian home, the proximity of one case on the other side of the border could be enough to trigger emergency measures in the border provinces, due to the automatic establishment of a 50 km security perimeter. Caution is therefore required, for the FWA which calls the authorities to “Provide financial compensation, and above all, support breeders by clear communication so that they know what awaits them“.
In the event of health blocking, losses would accumulate quickly. “”Three aspects must imperatively be covered in the compensation of breeders: direct losses linked to slaughtered animals, the interruption of activity imposed for 28 days, and veterinary costs “, specifies Thomas Demonty.
At this stage, while the DNC is still far from our borders, no impact on Belgian exports is expected. But the episode recalls the fragility of breeding in the face of epidemics: a home a few kilometers may be enough to paralyze an entire region.