Animal diseases intensified by climate change
From Bluetongue disease in sheep to Rift Valley Fever in camels, researchers say that animal diseases are sparked and spread by climate change. What causes them, and what can people do to prevent them from spreading?
Bluetongue is transmitted by a tiny biting midge, Cullicoides immitus, similar to the way that malaria is spread by mosquitoes. Sheep with swollen, bright blue tongues: it is a surreal sight only recently spotted in Germany. Aptly dubbed Bluetongue, the deadly disease causing the coloration was previously well known in veterinary medicine as a virus specific to Africa, says Heribert Hofer, the director of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research and a professor at Free University of Berlin. It particularly occurs in sheep, cattle and goats.
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Rift Valley Fever – Mauritania
The Ministry of Health (MoH) notified WHO that between 13 September and 1 October 2020, eight cases of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) including seven deaths were confirmed in animal breeders. Districts affected include Tidjikja and Moudjéria (Tagant region), Guerou (Assaba region) and Chinguetty (Adrar region). Laboratory confirmation of RVF infection was performed using a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) at the National Institute for Public Health Research (INRSP) in Nouakchott. The age of infected patients varied between 16 and 70 years old and included one woman and seven men. All seven deaths occurred among hospitalised patients with fever and haemorrhagic syndrome (petechia, gingivorrhagia) and vomiting.
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